Midnight moon
Medium: Oil and soft pastel on canvas
Dimensions: 121.9 x 91.4 cm
Date: 2022
Price: Please contact the artist
Description: Taking inspiration from the aesthetic of representations in Greek black ceramics, this work is an evocation of the night as a place of queer expression. ‘Midnight moon’, explores my personal experience growing up as a queer person. When I was young I couldn't express myself during the day, so the night was the time I could play with clothes and make-up, feeling free and protected by the darkness. Growing up this only developed more and more, queer clubs and nights out with friends became places of gender euphoria and exploration. This work challenges the normative connotations that we give to the ideas of darkness and lightness, presenting the darkness as a positive space.
Nan Carreira is a non-binary artist working primarily with painting, drawing and participative art, with a special focus on queerness. Nan’s work can be seen as a call to imagine new worlds where traits like vulnerability and self-expression are celebrated instead of being punished and repressed. To achieve this, Nan takes inspiration from mythology and religion to elevate queerness to a sacred place. The reality for queer people at this moment in time, especially for trans and non-binary identities, is harsh and painful. Nan’s work offers a space to explore these emotions and transcend them, creating art from lived experience.