‘Binary gender categories, with their associated socially imposed norms and rigidly codified expressions of gender, are crumbling. This breakdown is not manifested solely (or even primarily) in feminist and queer theoretical discourse, but above all in the lived experiences of our communities, in our bodies, and in our relationships. A growing voice and visibility are bringing to the fore the lives, demands and bodies of trans*, non-binary, lesbian and queer people, and the countless other possibilities that deviate from the heterosexual and cisgender norm. […] ‘Art in general, and visual art in particular, play a crucial role in this process of making these lives visible,’ write Sarah Di Nella, Ginevra Cassetta and Marta Capesciotti, the curators of *Gender Illustration [she, they, he]*, in the introductory text to the catalogue of the group exhibition organised for the Drag Me Up Queer Art Festival in 2021, which features illustrations and artworks by 24 artists.
Proceeds from the *Gender Illustration [she/they/he]* catalogue go to the Casa rifugio Marcella di Folco project, a shelter for trans* and non-binary people.
Sarah Di Nella, Ginevra Cassetta and Marta Capesciotti are the curators of Bande de femmes, #BDF – a ‘gang of women’, but also a play on words with ‘Bande dessinée’ (the French term for comic strips) – a festival of comics and illustration centred on female artists; illustrators and comic artists, organised by the feminist bookshop Tuba, located in Rome’s Pigneto neighbourhood.
