Queerlife Social
As pride month is starting, it feels natural to give credit to Queer creatives and their initiatives.
Queerlife Social creates an inclusive space for people of all artistic levels to hone their skill and practice in a relaxed and joyful environment while highlighting the artistry of Queer artists who come to perform and model for the audience.
Created by Frankie Sanchez, Manuela Gomez, and Inês Nunes with the support and contribution of Jacqui Devon, this initiative began as a gathering of friends in living rooms or warehouses to lead creative sessions consisting of sharing playlists, drawing exercises and life drawing sessions. As friends brought more friends, the organiser decided to organise a bigger event at Prince Arthur’s for their birthday. Prince Arthur loved the concept and offered to sponsor the events to take place at the pub. Frankie tells me the platform was created as a response to Queer spots disappearing and the fact that it felt like Queer people were only able to be celebrated at night time. The goal was to create a platform where Queer people could step in front of an audience which would be a safe space and be represented in the way they want to in their most authentic form. The life drawing sessions allow the models to perform in whichever way they prefer whether that means fully dressed or partially nude. The platform stands for social inclusion and body positivity and the sessions are open to everyone regardless of sexuality but only people who are a part of the Queer community can sign up to model and curate a set. The sets themselves are what makes the experience special as they include a curated playlist as well as fashion and props to create more interesting and editorial visuals.
After meeting Frankie and Manuela at a mutual friend’s goodbye party, I took vivid interest in participating in the sessions, thus I headed there for the first time for the Wednesday session of the 22nd of May. The first thing that struck me as I made my way up the stairs of the Prince Arthur pub near Old Street, was the immediate wave of friendliness that came off the room where the event was set to take place. After being warmly welcomed, the organisers explained that we were free to sit wherever we wanted and that we could use any of the provided materials or our own. Being a first time attendee, I decided to use what was provided which consisted of big sheets of paper, crayons and pencils galore and really, everything one could need to get to drawing. Our first model was fashion designer Noy Munis who graced us with her beautiful self-made outfit and her melancholic poses. Noy’s set remained bare, placing full emphasis on her person and the music accompanying her. She did a couple poses for the audience, each a bit longer than the previous one. As an artist who doesn’t usually sketch or attend life drawing sessions, it took me a couple tries before getting into the groove of conveying what I wanted within a time limit. All around me were a mix of experienced artists and beginners which was reassuring as it took off the pressure of performing and really let me enjoy what I was doing. As Noy finished her poses, we had a break where we all chatted together and looked at each others’ drawings. The models themselves have the occasion to take a look at how they were drawn by other artists.
The second set featured singer, actor, and clown Frank Bertoletti. They graced us with an incredible vocal performance in a set that gave us the intimate feel that we were preparing backstage with them. Frank prepared several outfits and props which gave life to their poses. They let themself get lost in their prepared playlist and conveyed the emotions they were feeling for the audience to capture. They included their experience as a trans person into the performance by baring their top surgery scars and allowing the audience to view them as they were and wanted to be represented. After the performance, Frank revealed that it was their first time modelling for life drawing and how it was slightly nerve wracking to bare one-self and allow people to pick apart how they look and perhaps pick-up on some insecurities. However, the experience turned out positive as, just like in real life, people do not notice the possible flaws or peculiarities that might make one insecure. The beauty of life drawing in this context is that the artist has control over what the audience sees of them and it allows them to see the beautiful ways in which they are perceived by others within a safe and loving space.
Queerlife social is a fantastic place to meet friends and let your artistic abilities run free in a safe, friendly and curated space whether you come as a model or a member of the audience. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and that is certainly true for this event which permits us to experience all different kinds of beauty on the models’ own terms. Queerlife Social is on Instagram @queerlifesocial, follow to catch the next event and follow their updates and projects. Noy Munis can be found @m_unisa and @munisa_land for her stunning creations. Frank Bertoletti is on Instagram as well under @2bfrank__ where you can catch updates of their upcoming gigs.