Every so often, especially in the summer time, I gather up any spray paints that I have left over from various jobs and head out into my local community to paint some big, bright, beautiful street art for everyone to enjoy.
One of my favourite places to do this is a little stretch of hidden walls in the midst of North London called Parkland Walk…
Parkland Walk is an old railway track in North London, leading from Finsbury Park through to Crouch End.
Overgrown with trees and wild woodlands, you can find many secret spots hidden around, where local graffiti artists, street artists and creatives love to come and play with paints.
Nestled amongst the wilderness are derelict railway arches, bridges, walls and more - and adventurers are rewarded with an ever changing gallery of artworks from some of London’s finest artistic talents…
I’ve been having a lot of fun lately creating a series of illustrated characters called The Qweirdos.
Essentially, these are characters inspired by myself, my friends and my creative peers - most of whom are proud to call ourselves both Queer and Weird…..
As an intersex, trans, non-binary Artist with ADHD, OCD and CPTSD - I have really found a lot of freedom and joy in painting characters who both represent and celebrate people like me!
Being a spray paint artist, skateboarder and musician myself - I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the queer skate scene, punk music scene and creative art scenes here in London when creating my characters….
Living in a warehouse community has also definitely played a role in developing the Qweirdos…
The queer techno party scene is pretty big here and the sleek, sexy style prevalent at events and venues like - Fold/Unfold, HTBX, Crosbreed, Riposte and more - has certainly influenced the clothing, playfulness, context, sense of freedom and dynamic poses of these characters too!
I decided not to plan this mural but instead to find a spot that felt safe, comfortable and open - and to simply create something full of joy, colour, movement and celebration based on these characters and the sense of place that I’ve found within my London community.
The design is vibrant, energetic and fun with bright colours swirling throughout the background bringing a sense of free spirited abandon.
The characters are not bound by gender norms, body shaming, sexism, racism or anything else - they dance in celebration of themselves, each other and their beautiful natural environment.
They find joy in the moment - despite being amongst derelict ruins and eroding brick walls - they shake their bodies, raise their arms, close their eyes and hold their heads up high.
Soft yet vibrant colours swirl around them as they unapologetically take up space and brighten up the world of anyone passing by or stumbling across them through the trees.
I hope you enjoyed this project, learning a little about this secret spot in London, and reading about my characters.
Mostly, I hope that you have enjoyed viewing my work and that this bold and courageous mural artwork has brought some colour and happiness to your day!
If you like what you see, please take some time to interact with this post by clicking the like button and leaving a comment - I’d love to hear your thoughts on this piece of artwork :)
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THANK YOU!
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.
