We Are Who We Are

“we are who we are,” was a project I kept adding on to and was/is made for the queer community

the project began with a design I created of a rainbow ribcage with the same phrase across

I then decided to print the design on stickers and t-shirts to sell at creators markets and raise funds for an lgbtqai2s+ initiative

later I transformed the 2D ribcage design into a 3D sculpture (toilet paper rolls, tape, plaster cloth and acrylic paint for the ribcage structure, tissue paper and pipe cleaners for the flowers, cardstock and twine for the vines)

for the fourth and last part of the project, I made pride outfits for two of my dear friends to wear at the bangalore, india pride parade (white button down shirts, white sarees, acrylic paint for dyeing the saree and painting on the shirts, upcyled fabric from indian tapestries and fabric scraps with indian jewelry for styling)

the phrase that inspired this project can be interpreted in so many ways, but to me it means that we the queer community are so truly, wholly, and undeniably ourselves, which no one can ever take from us, as “we are who we are”