Artwork by Rajveer Parekh
"Imprisoned"
Visual Artwork by Rajveer Parekh
Meet the Artist
Rajveer Parekh is a 16 year old high school student studying at the Mahindra United World College in India. They are interested in all things storytelling and want to use their creative voice to shed light on struggles faced by themselves and the queer community at large.
About the Art
"Imprisoned" is a Mix-media sculpture featuring a human torso and head form in a Prone position created by using plies and human hands bending wires to create shapes. The human body is made of wire with gauge 0.1 cm gauge. A complex three-dimensional base is attached below the heart of the human torso. The base has a gauge of 0.3 cm. The base has red strings attached to it with rectangular cardboard pieces connected to each string. The cardboard pieces each have different shades of black creating a gradient when seen from the top perspective. The pieces have typography on it using white gel pen of hate/slur words commonly used against the queer community - "pedophile, fake, wrong, fag**t , tra words - "pedoph*le, fake, wrong, fag**t , tra*ny. (These words were compiled using student observers).
Behind the Inspiration
The piece represents a transgender person's body as a prison that traps their true inner soul. The base represents how this prison is strengthened by the derogatory words used by others. The piece also features a transgender person from Pune that was brutally murdered, and the three faces represent the hate endured by trans people throughout their transition.
More to Come...
Rajveer's artwork spans a wide variety of mediums and moods, and more of their artwork will continue to appear throughout this series, so stay tuned for more painting, sculptures, and mixed-media art, which will accompany the words of LGBTQ+ writers and editors.
About "Love in the Time of Banned Books"
In this series, we seek to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, while critically examining book bans and how they impact the LGBTQ+ community.
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