Katie Toft
BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation
My work focuses around the lives of queer people, namely in the Manchester area. This helps in exploring my own identity whilst hopefully creating visibility to others who aren't a part of the community. My work focuses on working with others within the communities I centre my projects around, whether it be getting involved with drag artists around Manchester or queer students within Manchester Met. Using several perspectives in forming my work allows for more understanding in what I create, which is important to me to accurately portray parts of communities. Using my work as a voice for people who are often misunderstood or unheard, I always try to create a good relationship with the people I collaborate with as it creates open and authentic communication for sharing their experiences.
The work showcased is focused around drag artists in the Manchester area, having interviewed several artists and been in contact with them throughout the process of creating the work. They all have individual stories of how they came into the world of drag, and their experiences within the community. I wanted to explore deeper into the environment, past the commercialised side to it. How each artist is unique, and how they form the way they perform drag. Drag can simply be dressing up in the camp style, but is always a form of performance - whether it be the costuming or actually performing to a crowd. The drag community in Manchester is extremely tight-knit, almost a form of family as they may fall out but will work things out together. Getting to engage with this community is incredibly interesting, and allows a new perspective on the queer community in the city.
