Divine Identity by Salgu Wissmath

Inspired by religious iconography references and other artist’s images of modern day saints, such as the work by Kelly Latimore Icons and Gabriel Garcia Roman, “Divine Identity” celebrates the sacredness of queer folks of faith by transforming their portraits into icons.Writing icons is a meditative practice which creates a window through to the spirit of the individual being celebrated in the image. By contemplating the icons in this series, I hope queer folks will receive a sense of peace and comfort, feeling surrounded by their queer elders and siblings, especially when they may feel alone. Whether or not the viewer is a person of faith, I hope viewing these icons will empower queer folks to embody their own sacredness.There is a modern motif of creating religious icon imagery of activists, migrants, and trans women. Martin Luther King Jr. and Marsha P. Johnson— these are our modern day saints memorialized on instagram with a holy halo around their head. There is a striking image of an undocumented migrant family crossing the border iconized as the modern day holy family seeking refuge in Bethlehem. These subversive art forms are prayers reminding us to honor the living saints among us. I was moved by these pieces to highlight queer folks of faith by creating similar icons. To bring to light those of us who are both queer and spiritual. To encourage us and others to recognize our own sacredness. We are all created in the image of the divine. Our identities are divine.