Cleopatria Peterson
BIPOC Artist Residency
2021-22
Black, Indigenous, People(s) of Colour Artist Residency Recipient
Cleopatria Peterson (they/them) is an award-winning black non-binary trans-multi-disciplinary artist. They are an illustrator, author, facilitator and co-founder of Old Growth Press. The themes of their work explore their own identity and narratives that are both personal and fantastical. They love printmaking through screen printing, letterpress and linocut. They are interested in using these skills to create objects that can be easily disseminated and hope to expand on their thesis from OCAD. Through this residency, they will create work and print ephemera that will work to empower black, queer and/or trans folks.
Image R: Envelope, letterpress on kraft cardstock, 7.75″ x 4”. Coupons, screenprint on 80lb cardstock, series of 4, 5″ x 2”. About the artwork: this was a mailer designed by Trans for Trans, playing on the term T4T. It features a variety of coupons that parodied corporations by including important resources that not only transgender but BIPOC, queer, and disabled folks need. The coupons are funny but also work to address the inaccessibility of things such as hormone replacement therapy and top surgery. The coupons imagine a world where you can go to the mall and get things that are necessary for people to live and survive. The use of parody allows an access point to something that is actually a very harsh reality for many trans people.