Angelic Troublemakers, Tactical Deviants
This series of mixed-media and painted drawings explores what I call “unportraits”—abstract depictions of LGBTQ+ figures who played pivotal roles in movements for freedom, power, and visibility. Among them are Baron von Steuben, a key strategist appointed by George Washington whose training transformed the Continental Army and who is believed to have been queer by today’s standards, and Bayard Rustin, the openly gay civil rights leader who organized the 1963 March on Washington and called for “angelic troublemakers” in every community.
Inspired by historical figures like these, the works merge imagery from historical etchings, political cartoons, children’s coloring books, and pop culture to reflect how we interpret and transform historical memory. Through layered lines that evoke both visibility and absence, these “unportraits” imagine new ways of seeing and remembering, amplifying queer histories and their enduring impact amid today’s climate of censorship and repression.
