In 2021, towards the end of the pandemic, I was invited on my first trip to Berlin to take part in an extremely exciting exhibition at The Schwules Musuem.
The event, titled ‘Mercury Rising – Inter* Hermstory[ies] Now and Then’ was historic in being the first intersex only exhibition to take place in museum, and I was invited to paint my signature BODIES pattern across the largest wall I’d tackled to date.
The wall took four days to paint, using Posca markers in a variety of colours. I painted intuitively without planning the layout - finding a flow in my movements and balancing the colours instinctively. As I painted, other intersex artists, photographer and curators bustled around the room preparing installations, hanging works and sharing thoughts, stories, and emotions.
Thank you to the curatorial team: Luan Pertl, Sylvia Sadzinski, Ins A Kromminga, Ev Blaine Matthigack, Alex Giegold, Tomka Weiß for this opportunity and please do be sure to check out the other artists involved in the exhibition: Adeline Berry, Hiker Chiu, Obioma Chukwuike, Giegold & Weiß, Mauro Cabral Grinspan, Sunil Gupta, Crystal Hendricks, Ins A Kromminga, Ev Blaine Matthigack, Mani Mitchell, Eliana Rubashkyn, Charan Singh, Rebecca Swan, Del LaGrace Volcano, Sean Saifa Wall, Gaëlle ‚Gelweo‘ Wolf.
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You can also find me on VERO @cult_of_rae - visit my website - or donate to my Buy Me A Coffee page (links to all of these are on my profile page)
Rae is an intersex, trans, non-binary artist and activist from London, UK.
Working across multiple disciplines, their work calls into question the very foundations of predisposed physical, biological and metaphysical notions upon which prevailing contemporary culture is built.
Rae’s work highlights intersex, trans and neurodiverse experiences, places non binary bodies as visually centric, and transcends intersections between colonialist and imperialist domination of gender, race, culture, environment, mental health, neurodivergence and sex.
