Five local artists and two guest artists, all members of Compass Arts, put on a pop-up exhibition exploring issues around identity earlier this month to promote the day.
The artist collective, called Queer Roots, came together in 2024. They are keen to raise awareness of trans queer-gender adults and openly discuss some of the issues facing their community.
Vic Williams, pictured, exhibited their art work on three T-shirts with images of a clownfish, a frog and a hyena – creatures that show gender fluidity in nature.
“We felt it was hugely important to raise awareness about the trans queer-gender community and talk openly with visitors about the world we live in,” Vic explained.
“There were lots of questions, which we hope we answered, and great support from passing members of the public.” Other artists included Arron Nixon, Zac and Rose, whose work was displayed in the Gather unit.
The exhibition was organised by Fenya Sharkey, artistic director at Compass Arts charity. Fenya said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with these artists. There was a lot of interest about their work and their community and they held a number of informative conversations with shoppers. They now have over 800 followers on their Instagram page, which they are delighted about.”
The Beacon General Manager Mark Powell said he was delighted to welcome the Queer Roots team into Gather. “Part of our role is to give a voice to community groups, and I was delighted to welcome Vic, River, Arron, Zac and Rose into The Beacon. There was strong interest in their pop-up exhibition and I am sure they have benefitted from their time with us.”
Queer Roots Instagram is @queerroots_transcollective