Rainbow Portraits I: Roleplay

The Rainbow Portraits series celebrates the diversity of gender roles by presenting a spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities, utilizing bold and vibrant colors inspired by the rainbow flag. Comprising three artworks, the series includes Rainbow Portraits I: Roleplay, Rainbow Portraits II: History / Flower Power, and Rainbow Portraits III: Fantastical Visions. Each piece delves into various aspects of gender diversity, exploring both past and the present, the playful nature of gender roles, and culminating in surreal staged settings that draw inspiration from disco, cabaret, exotic wildlife and more.

“Rainbow Portraits I: Roleplay” is celebrating diversity to the max with a bursting kaleidoscope of colors, costume designs and fluctuating gender roles. LGBTQ+ models playfully embrace both feminine and masculine traits, challenging prevailing stereotypes.

The artwork predominantly explores male beauty in various forms. It portrays men as charming baroque Casanovas, tender figures adorned in lush florals, queers in cute bunny suits or disco dancefloor messiahs covered in glitter, culminating in Darth Vader wearing an extravagant pink dress. Ornate peacocks, elegant flamingos´ and cute furry pets featured in many images further contribute to the whimsical deconstruction of stereotypes traditionally associated with manhood. The aim here is to explore alternatives to the “female beauty paradigm” – beauty confined within a feminine cultural space – that has so deeply permeated our society.