Julian Stips (@julianstips)
« My illustrations are mostly intricate and surreal, more is more. Often they feature androgynous characters in decorative settings. Projects like this are a great reminder that Pride is not an excuse to get drunk in the streets. It’s first and foremost a message of inclusivity that -unfortunately- a lot of people still need to hear. I like to think my work is sort of unapologetically queer regardless. I can be quite introverted so drawing is my way of expressing myself more so than the way I dress or act. I am as gay as they come and proud of it, I trust my illustrations are an extension of that no matter what. »
Max van Voort (@massimo.psd)
« I would characterize my work as clean, dreamy, and queer. In addition, I often use soft colors and stylized lines. My ideas always come from a feeling, either negative or positive. Pride has a special place in my heart and despite the fact that there is no physical Canal Pride this year, the city is fortunately still colored in rainbow colors. In light of the black lives matter movement, it seemed like the right time to make my statement: black queer lives matter. Besides that, it was a new challenge for me because normally I draw almost everything digitally. »
Sioejeng Tsao (@seeyousioe)
« The characters in my illustrations always center the same person with a fringe and a bob-line. It represents myself when I was younger, my mom would always do the same haircut. All the illustrations revolve around me and my own experiences in life. I joined this project because Pride is not only something to celebrate but also something to protest. Nowadays gay & queer people are still being beaten up and murdered for who they love and this has to stop. The message I want to spread is that love is love. Life is nothing without it and we need more of it to stop people fighting over nothing for the sake of ego, greed and hate. »
Gerdien van Halteren (@thisis_gary)
« My work is characterized by a distinguished color scheme, harsch but flowy lines and a minimalistic, but bold approach. My subjects exist in a surreal universe, somewhere between real life, the dream realm, and the online world. In this place, the binary doesn’t exist, and bodies are never shamed; only celebrated. I joined this project because we should not let this year’s Pride go by because of Covid-19. Pride is still protest, and I think it is very important to show ourselves and our message to the world, especially now. A big hotel window is a perfect place to do so. With my illustration I want to remind people passing by that Pride is also about fighting for equality. No matter who you are, how you identify, or who you love, we are all the same. »
You can check out the window drawing in Werkplaats now.
