By Susan Payne
A two-building mural in East Hollywood commissioned by nonprofit ProjectQ represents Trans joy designed and painted by artist Mars Wright.
The permanent mural “Trans Joy is Resistance” was released last month on the cross street of Vermont and Fountain Avenue as part of a larger series called “Trans Joy,” according to The Los Angeles Blade.
The white-on-black building, next to a black-on-black building at 4709 Fountain Ave portray a smattering of smiling mouths in motion in Mars Wright’s iconic illustrative style, the Blade reported.
“I draw tons of inspiration from the works of Keith Harring, specifically his subway drawings. How do we make Trans Joy tangible, a lived reality? We put it everywhere, we remind everyone passing by that we are not going anywhere, and our joy is actively resisting the Transphobia we experience, the Transphobia that tells us we do not belong and we should not have joyous lives as out Trans people. I am so honored to have my mural at ProjectQ, an important and necessary resource for LGBTQ+ folks.” said Mars Wright.
ProjectQ is a nonprofit community center that provides safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth. Folx with housing insecurities can receive free mentorship classes and workshops along with free gender-affirming haircuts, the Blade said. The center prides themselves in being a safe space where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, size, ability and income.
Mars is a Trans artist and activist that specialized in mixed media, interested in the beauty of imperfection and the strength of radical honesty, the Blade stated. Through sharing his life, Mars hopes to help people feel less alone.
“We are all trying our best and he wants to honor that,” the Blade stated.
