‘AND THUS, THEY SPOKE’
A tribute to the voices that make our communities shine
An ongoing project by Brayan Montes-Terrazas
BRAYAN M. MONTES-TERRAZAS
Hello, My name is Brayan Montes-Terrazas, a queer immigrant artist from Denver, Colorado. Thank you for taking the time to look at the project. As a forward, I ask you to see the color in these pieces as an intentional choice of brightness. Let the color speak to you.
Here the stars represent the identities I hold as an immigrant a queer person and a person of color. Their brightness shines past me and goes towards that which is unseen.
“And Thus, They Spoke” is a collection of portraits in the style of stained glass. It shows us the stories of great community builders that have used their voices to break the shackles of conformity and injustice. Icons of the times and muses for what is to come in the ecosystem of justice and progress.
—
Color is the language of the oppressed, the signal of safety for many, and in comparison, holiness in the same way whiteness is to the victorian era and renaissance periods.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
It goes without being said that Dr. King’s impact goes beyond that of the black liberation movement. To this day his values of Non-Violence, Unconditional love and forgiveness rain true.
Without the fight and struggle of many in the civil rights movement, many of the voices we hear today may not have happened. Many of our fights may have been delayed and many of our brothers and sisters would not have been here.
THE MUXES OF SOUTHERN MEXICO
In Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca a muxe is a person assigned male at birth who dresses and behaves in ways otherwise associated with females. In some Zapotec cultures, they are seen as a third gender.
In a country that is defined by its machismo, homophobia, and transphobia the stories of these amazing people ring true to many of the stories of trans folk around the world. The struggles and fights to be your true self is rarely talked about and something that should be at the forefront of the Queer conversation.
For this portrait, I took inspiration from the 14th-century composition styles and brought the Muxes as my muse for their bright and colorful culture.
Billy POrter
"The reason why our country is in the mess we're in is simply because of whiteness. White supremacy. White people choke-holding power and sucking the life out of humanity"
Actor and singer Billy Porter was born during the AIDS crisis and has been a shining star for the queer community as a non-conformist of gender norms.
His political fashion statements have empowered young and old to share their truth no matter who is looking.
