Long Beach City College’s PRIDE scholars hosted the inaugural “Hello, My name is:….,” Pop Up Art exhibit focused on nonbinary and transgender communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and it focused on identity.
Watercolors, images exhibiting split expressions, sculptures and digital stories were on display on Thursday with the art exhibit being held at LAC in P-113 and in the courtyard. The exhibit had an early showing from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and then a reception and second showing from 5 to 7 p.m. as a place for students to show their art to the public.
The purpose of the gallery aimed to both honor and highlight the experiences of students and foster understanding, visibility and appreciation for the struggles and obstacles on the ongoing journey towards equality and acceptance.
Guests were greeted with pronoun buttons to select and keep as a token of appreciation and respect. Post-Its and pens were available for guests to write notes to the artists leaving positive feedback and support during the interactive experience.
One of the artists in the exhibit was Acaua Tildon better known as just Acaua and they had a piece called ‘Untitled,” which was created with vivid blue water color and colored pencil on a white canvas background.
“Through a kaleidoscope, we see multiple versions of ourselves. In this way, we are able to find the essence of who we can fully be,” Acaua said on the artist label posted next to the art piece.
Acaua was not able to present during the earlier exhibit, as they were still in the process of finishing their piece.
“I really was working on it even this morning! I thought I would not finish. So seeing that people liked it, it is exciting,” Acaua said.
Acaua’s piece featured a look that depicted separate painting pieces that were collaged into one
“Well it’s like little minis. The middle is a painting about this process of transformation. All introspective from the cocoon then we have this type of kaleidoscope. It’s all introspective self reflection, and the way that gender is not binary,” says Acaua.
Acaua then described the personal aspect of their piece referring to it as being about themselves.
“I feel like this is a thing that I often like, catching myself thinking about it. I often think about myself.”
Another artist within the exhibit was Jasper Ruiz, a first year student who was excited to participate in the first exhibit of this kind on campus.
Ruiz shared their thoughts on the art exhibit saying, “It’s to bring light to transphobia.”
Ruiz considers themselves nonbinary trans masc describing their identity as being able to present one day as more feminine and another more masculine, “I am nonbinary and trans masc so for me its not exclusively male I can also choose to present female some days.”
