The 2024 Sundance Short Films are coming to SBIFF's Riviera Theatre! Following the 6:00pm screening on Friday, June 7th, Director of ALOK Alex Hedison will join us for a Q&A. Tickets available now at sbiffriviera.com @alexhedisonstudio @alokvmenon @sundanceorg #alexhedison #alok #alokvaidmenon #sbiff #santabarbara
Less than 10 days remains for the anticipated return of @alokvmenon and @travisalabanza in Athens! ALOK live in Athens 4 June 2024 special guest: TRAVIS ALABANZA @theatrovempo 21:00 Grab your tickets today through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece #specialguest #travisalabanza #poet #writer #activist
We started with SpongeBob on Wednesday, and P!NK yesterday. Today was Jonathan Van Ness! Going LIVE on TikTok every day (until I can’t) doing blind contour paintings of people who are good humans, who do good things for this world, on any scale. The portraits are available for purchase, and you can also custom order your own! Saturday, May 25 at 4pm PST / 7pm EST: LIVE on TikTok @teganjamesart - I’ll be doing a blind contour portrait painting of Alok Vaid-Menon (@alokvmenon)! I’m excited! Sunday, May 26 (time tba): LIVE on TikTok @teganjamesart - Blind Contour painting of @ladygaga! #teganjamesart #blindcontour #liveontiktok #alok #alokvaidmenon #p!nk #jonathanvanness #tucsonartist
@alokvmenon Thank you so much for your amazing show Wednesday night in Paris! Full of love, freedom and inspiring power 🥹🧚♂️❤️🔥💣 Let's dare to love ourselves as we are! #alokvaidmenon #alok #parisatnight #freetobe #freetolove #aloktheyrock #fulloflove #luckyus
“Feeling incredibly inspired and energized after witnessing Alok Vaid-Menon’s transformative talk! @alokvmenon. Their words didn’t just resonate; they ignited a fire within me to stand up and take action. . Alok isn’t just a fashion icon; they’re a fierce advocate for the rights and safety of non-binary and queer and trans individuals. Their unwavering commitment to dismantling systems of oppression and challenging societal norms is nothing short of revolutionary. In a world where violence and discrimination against marginalized communities persist, Alok’s message serves as a beacon of hope and empowerment. They remind us that our identities are not something to be ashamed of but celebrated, embraced, and fiercely protected. Let’s rally behind Alok’s mission, amplifying their voice and spreading their message far and wide. . If we come Together, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate world where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Join me in standing with Alok Vaid-Menon and the LGBTQ+ community as we work towards a future filled with love, acceptance, and equality. 🏳️🌈✨ . #AlokVaidMenon #Inspired #SpreadLove #LGBTQ+”
Tonight was amazing! I went to see @alokvmenon perform standup in Paris and I had the greatest night ever. @lou_trotignon played the first part and was hilarious as usual but also his English was very good.... Like how talented can you be Sir ? Could you please speak English like a Spanish Cow as we say ? @dylanmulvaney also played before Alok and she was very funny too but after all the online discourse I watched over the Budlight debacle, seeing her in person felt kinda surreal. All in all, I had the greatest night, kept my anxiety in check for the most part and even managed to grab some merch before running home to my kids 😄. #alokvaidmenon #notalokthebraziliandj #loutrotignon #standup #standupcomedy #alhambraparis #queercomedy #dylanmulvaney #transrightsarehumanrights #protecttransfolks #protecttranskids
Alok and Dylan ✨🤍 #trans #nonbinary #nonbinaire #alokvaidmenon #dylanmulvaney #paris #fun #show #womaninpublic #alhambra #queer @dylanmulvaney @alokvmenon #lgbtq
had the pleasure of spending some time with @alokvmenon @mx.dahliabelle & @iamelsz for alok’s portland show. being around talented, unique, and beautiful trans people not only inspires me to create, but to be myself, flaunt it, and live it proudly. i’m so thankful for who i’ve become and through these wonderful individuals i get to see & experience trans joy, trans pain, and trans radicalness. 🏳️⚧️ this work is so special to me. hair @itsb3ntl3ybish makeup @victoriayabut #transphotographer #editorialfashion #backstagephoto #portlandoregon #alokvaidmenon
Em parceria com a UAU e Casino Lisboa, temos um convite duplo para o espectáculo de Alok Vaid-Menon, para 2 de Junho, que será sorteado [através de programa electrónico] entre as pessoas associadas da Opus Diversidades a 30 de Maio. Mais informações no link da bio. @uauprodutora #AlokVaidMenon #casinolisboa @casinolisboa #cultura #giveaway #diversidade #pluralidade #solidariedade #amigos #OpusDiversidades #associades
A little Saturday night reading. #readinglist #alokvaidmenon
So surreal to see @alokvmenon after the show at @foxoakland *note to C*vid conscious folks: I only de-masked for photos, drinks, etc. - we had an amazing group of disabled, trans, and elder folx in the audience I wanted to be conscious of* What an awesome experience to share with my friend and colleague Jenni Cleary @explorevoicestudios from @transvoiceinitiative Things I said to Alok because I was starstruck: 1. “I’m Punjabi and I paid for a ticket to see you in person!” In response to a gentle bit about South Asians preferring to stream or not pay for a ticket. 2. “I’m trying to be famous so you can play me in a movie, or I can play you - either way I’m okay with it” in response to a bit discussing difficulties with casting in Hollywood. I’m mortified that I could not be more eloquent, but I totally did this the Kapila way, and Alok said they liked my hair 🥰 #alokvaidmenon #alokvmenon #trans #nonbinary #transcomedian #meetyourheroes
From #CynthiaErivo's emerald bling to #Saweetie's sleek glam and #BM's chic wire frames, here are the standout beauty looks of the 2024 #GoldGala. 🌟 📸 Photos courtesy of @marinasea95 for EnVi Media Check out all the full roundup by @mel.h.simmons at our website 🔗 in bio. 💚 ••• @GoldHouseCo #AgnezMo #AlexShibutani #MaiaShibutani #AliciaHannahKim #AlokVaidMenon #AvantikaVandanapu #BM #CynthiaErivo #DallasLiu #EugeneLeeYang #GeenaRocero #JeannieMai #KimWoosung #MannyJacinto #MaitreyiRamakrishnan #MinnieMills #RBonneyGabriel #Saweetie #ShibSibs @AlexShibutani @MaiaShibutani @alokvmenon @CynthiaEriVo @EugeneLeeYang @GeenaRocero @jeanniemai @Saweetie
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚: UGG calls for unapologetic expression x Y-OUR sis @alokvmenon & company with its URSeen collection. Credits: Photographer @ariellebobbwillis Director @britphelan Wardrobe Stylist @devonisdevon Hair Stylist @alyxliu Makeup Artist @laurelcharleston Manicurist @nailsbyemikudo Set Designer @jcmolinasetdesign Art Dept Lead: Chris Guajrado Producer @knabozny Location Manager @locations_scouting Catering @bloodsweatandbutter #FGUK #UGG #AlokVaidMenon #LGBTQ+
“care is our natural state.” - Alok Vaid-Menon Description: Two photos. The first is the marque at the Neptune Theater in Seattle. The second is the above quote in all caps - white font and a black background. #antifascistcoffee #alokvaidmenon #careisournaturalstate #seattle #theneptunetheater #abetterworldispossible
Books to Looks: Gold Gala Edition (Part I) 💃🏻🤵🏻♂️📚 ... #bookcovers • #lookstobooks • #goldgala • #goldgala2024 💃🏻🤵🏻♂️ #halsey • #cynthiaerivo • #michelleyeoh • #alokvaidmenon • #karrueche 📚 #alloutshimmeringskies • #trentdalton • #roversingmehome • #eleanorshearer • #thenightingaleaffair • #timmason • #luckyturtle • #billroorbach • #atomichabits • #jamesclear • #thecollectedregretsofclover • #mikkibrammer • #thehoneys • #ryanlasala • #mollyshannon • #hellomolly
The gang is back :) The multi talented comedy genius of @alokvmenon is returning to Athens for a special show with @travisalabanza on opening duties! ALOK live in Athens 4 June 2024 special guest: TRAVIS ALABANZA @theatrovempo 21:00 📸 @cperrakis Tickets already running low through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece #specialguest #travisalabanza #poet #writer #activist
Less than a month remains for the anticipated return of @alokvmenon and @travisalabanza in Athens! ALOK live in Athens 4 June 2024 special guest: TRAVIS ALABANZA @theatrovempo 21:00 Grab your tickets today through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece #specialguest #travisalabanza #poet #writer #activist
Oh my, do we have a treat for you?!? The multi talented genius of @travisalabanza will be opening the @alokvmenon show in Athens on the 4th of June 2024! ALOK live in Athens 4 June 2024 special guest: TRAVIS ALABANZA @theatrovempo 21:00 Tickets already running low through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece #specialguest #travisalabanza #poet #writer #activist
Fun liner moment on @alokvmenon for @lwtech 💙 #bayareamua #bayareamakeupartist #sanfranciscomua #sanfranciscomakeupartist #sfmua #sfmakeupartist #oaklandmua #oaklandmakeupartist #sanjosemua #sanjosemakeupartist #lwtech #alok #alokvaidmenon #alokvmenon #graphicliner #fullglam
POET, COMEDIAN, PUBLIC SPEAKER, WRITER & ACTOR. @alokvmenon ARE EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE & MORE. @comedysfinestgr presents ALOK 4 JUNE 2024 LIVE IN ATHENS VEMBO THEATER TICKETS RUNNING LOW THROUGH @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
Ein wholesome Moment: Im Marsha P. Johnson Park das Buch „Beyond the Gender Binary“ von Alok Vaid-Menon lesen. Ich hatte das große Glück, gestern an einem Event von Alok Vaid-Menon in irgendeiner kleinen, aber sehr feinen Bar in Brooklyn teilnehmen zu können (Slide 2). Das Buch habe ich direkt mitgenommen und verschlungen. Alok ist ein*e nicht-binäre trans Schriftsteller*in, Performancekünstler*in und Aktivist*in mit indischen Wurzeln. Dabei ist Alok bekannt für kluge Performances, die Poesie, Comedy und Mode kombinieren, um gesellschaftliche Normen und die Dominanzgesellschaft in Frage zu stellen und die Sichtbarkeit und Akzeptanz von trans- und nicht-binären Personen zu fördern. Die behaarte Brust mit knalligen Kleidern und tollem Make-up sind Aloks Signature-Look, ich bin mir sicher, dass du bereits mal beim täglichen Doomscrolling auf Aloks Content gestoßen bist. Alok Vaid-Menons Werk “Beyond the Gender Binary” ist ein kompaktes, aber sehr beeindruckendes Buch. Auf gerade einmal 64 Seiten entfaltet Vaid-Menon eine eindringliche Erzählung der Erfahrungen mit Geschlechtervielfalt, die von der Kindheit in einer indischen Großfamilie bis ins Erwachsenenalter reichen. Diese persönlichen Informationen veranschaulichen tiefgreifend, wie sich gesellschaftliche Geschlechterdynamiken auf die Authentizität, psychische Gesundheit und Selbstverwirklichung auswirken können. Darüber hinaus dekonstruiert Alok die Argumente der Befürworter*innen einer strikten Geschlechterbinarität und zeigt auf, wie diese Sichtweise letztlich dazu dient, Macht und Kontrolle zu behalten und trans- und nicht-binäre Menschen nicht anzuerkennen. Diese sehr spannende Analyse liefert auf jeden Fall eine Anleitung, wie man in der Zukunft besser mit wertekonservativen Menschen oder TERFs argumentieren kann. Unbezahlte Werbung – selbst gekauft. Unbezahlte Werbung - selbst gekauft. #queer #queerlesen #bookstagramgermany #bücherblog #literaturtipp #bookstagram #queerinliterature #bücherblog #literatur #alokvmenon #alokvaidmenon #binary #nonbinary
What a show @alokvmenon put on last time they sold out Athens! This time it's going to be even better :) @alokvmenon live in Athens 4 June 2024 @theatrovempo 📷 @cperrakis Tickets already on sale through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
Last time in Athens with @alokvmenon was one of the funniest and emotional shows we 've ever witnessed in our city! This time it's going to be even better :) @alokvmenon live in Athens 4 June 2024 @theatrovempo Tickets on sale now through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
"Queer people teach the world that it is possible to live braided alongside fear" - Alok Vaid-Menon #alokvaidmenon #bebrave #beyourself #queer #poet #writingcommunity
The European Tour of one of the funniest on stage is starting next month and has a major stop in Athens! @alokvmenon live in Athens 4 June 2024 @theatrovempo 21:00 Grab your tickets now before it's too late through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
“We have always been here” - @alokvmenon * * * * #art #artist #artwork #drawing #draw #sketch #sketchbook #sketchbookart #sketchbookdrawing #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #artofdrawing #instaart #illustration #create #creative #creativity #visualart #politicalart #colour #colourart #queer #queerart #queerartist #fyp #transrights #transrightsarehumanrights #nonbinary #alokvaidmenon
POET, COMEDIAN, PUBLIC SPEAKER & ACTOR. @alokvmenon IS EVERYTHING AT ONCE. @comedysfinestgr presents ALOK 4 JUNE 2024 LIVE IN ATHENS VEMBO THEATER GRAB YOUR TIX @more.com_greece BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
Last time in Athens with @alokvmenon was one of the funniest and emotional shows we 've ever witnessed in our city! This time it's going to be even better :) ALOK live in Athens 4 June 2024 @theatrovempo 21:00 Tickets on sale now through @more.com_greece #linkinbio #alok #alokvaidmenon #comedy #standupcomedy #comedian #poet #writer #inspirational #liveinathens #liveingreece
And another booklet I brought with me yesterday was this one 💜 I didn’t get the chance to read it yesterday, but I got to pick it up today, which was nice 😊 If you need short comebacks to common stated reasons why “there’s only two genders”, this pocket book will definitely be your friend! #alokvaidmenon #beyondthegenderbinary #bookrecommendations
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon 5⭐️ This world is oddly small. I was quite surprised to learn that Alok grew up in College Station, home of my alma mater, Texas A&M University. I have a lot of fond memories of school and my friends, but being black in central Texas, particularly in 2008, was frequently uncomfortable. I can imagine growing up brown and queer in that very conservative small town would be even more uncomfortable and draining, and Alok confirms it. This book is a combination of memoir and gender freedom pocket reference guide. (See what I did there? lol) This was so short, but it packed a serious punch. There's a collection of mostly brief rebuttals to the most often used prejudiced arguments against gender equality that I would like to commit to memory, and poignant reminders that my personal discomfort with someone's style or gender expression is no one's responsibility but my own. I'm definitely going to pick up another book in the Pocket Change Collection and probably from Alok as well.
🏳️⚧️TDOV 🏳️⚧️ trans rights accelerate freedom for all people man and women are two of potentiality infinite like stars you get to tell me how man and women looks to you you are the representation of the two existing energies within you trans people know who we are we chose authenticity in the face of adversity #tdov #alokvaidmenon
“We want a world where boys can feel, girls can lead, and the rest of us can not only exist but thrive. This is not about erasing men and women but rather acknowledging that man and woman are two of many—stars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one another’s shine.” #alokvaidmenon #alokvaid-menon #beyondthegenderbinary #penguinworkshop #bookstagram
ID: An Eastern Meadowlark stands in green grass below a quote from Alok that says, “We have to become fluent in everything that makes us want to live.” @alokvmenon . #considerthebirds #bird #birds #birding #birder #birdphoto #birdsofinstagram #birdsofig #birdsofvirginia #birdsofva #birdsofcharlottesville #birdsofcville #rivannawatershed #freedom #justice #liberation #fujifilm #fujifilmxt3 #xt3 #easternmeadowlark #meadowlark #alok #alokquotes #alokvaidmenon
I don’t usually do podcast recommendations, but the wisdom and loving-compassion in this interview with @alokvmenon is so profound and illuminating, I am compelled to tell you all about it!! This is for everyone looking for self-love and to love one another. It’s such a simple and profound loving truth that emerges from what @alokvmenon calls the deep “democracy of death.” YES!!!! So much love in this. Like real expansive inclusive love. Thank you @glennondoyle for this interview!! I am already a better more true version of myself for having heard it. 💗💗💗💗 Listen here!! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-can-do-hard-things/id1564530722?i=1000650445707 #wecandohardthingspodcast #alokvaidmenon #democracyofdeath #surrender #beautyway #hummingbirdmedicine
After having dinner with Alok Vaid-Menon and a group of fabulous people at the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and speaking to ALOK for the first time in many years since the DarkMatter days I attended "An Evening With ALOK" and received a signed copy of their new book "Beyond The Gender Binary". #alokvaidmenon #alok #gendernonconforming #femmeinpublic #genderbinary #trans #gender #beyondthegenderbinary #gendernorms #internationalnonbinaryday #genderfluid #nonbinaryartist #centerthosemostmarginalized #criticalthinking #onlineresources #purple #purplebbryzen #nonbinary #androgynous #androgyny #lgbtq #umass #umassamherst #univeristyofmassachusetts #univeristyofmassachusettsamherst #amherst #amherstmassachusetts #massachusetts #amherstmass #stonewallcenter
Ausstellung im Sputnik Potsdam mit der Serie „book inspired paintings“ und der Installation „shape-shifting murmurations & solitude“. Heute war Vernissage - die Bilder hängen aber mindestens noch 1 Monat. Wenn ihr eins kaufen oder in Auftrag geben wollt, gerne dm oder über meine Website. #queerart #transartist #kunstbrandenburg #queerexhibition #judithvogt #alokvaidmenon #maggietokundahall #hadijaharunaoelker #şeydakurt #alwaekeemezi #kesotterlieffe #kacencallender #murmurationofstarlings
what book would you love to be able to fit in your pocket - so you could take it with you wherever you went? 🏳️🌈 . . . . 🏷️tags: #BeyondTheGenderBinary #PocketChangeCollective #AlokVaidMenon #TransPride #QueerLit #QueerArt #Shelfie #LGBTQIABooks #Booksta #QueerBookstagram #ReaderLife #BookWorld #TransRights #TransBooks #Bookish #LGBTQReads #Bookshelves #ReadersOfInstagram #BeautifulBooks
Performance artist @alokvmenon (they/them) is heading to La Madeleine on 31 May 2024 with a show full of comedy, poetry and audio-visual art, exploring themes such as gender, race, trauma and alienation. 💖 🎫 Tickets are on sale now via @ticketlive.be: https://bit.ly/49PCNs5 #alokvaidmenon - #lamadeleine - #brussels - #performanceart - #queerbrussels
Death means you are in the third person. Michael Ondaatje * * gouache drawing inspired by @artmodelandrea3.0 * * #weeklyandreadrawing #quotes #quotesandart #alokvaidmenon #oceanvuong #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
Reneé Rapp, Oprah, Yellowjackets and more win big at the GLAAD Media Awards! ❤️🔥➡️ Swipe to see memorable moments from the night. Billie Joe Armstrong, Reneé Rapp, Alexandra Shipp, Sydney Sweeney, Oprah Winfrey, the cast of "Fellow Travelers", Kate Hudson, Trace Lysette, the cast of "Yellowjackets", Wayne Brady, Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, the cast of "RuPaul's Drag Race", Chlöe, Michaela Jaé, Shangela, JoJo Siwa, Chrishell Stause, Dylan Mulvaney, Frankie Grande, Alok Vaid-Menon, Sharon Stone and Niecy Nash-Betts at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards - Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. | March 14, 2024 | 📷️: @mkovac + @joescarnici + @kevincwinter + @mattwinkelmeyer | #GettyEntertainment for @glaad
Turning streets into runways , everywhere they go! . . A proud moment for us . @alokvmenon , in our Handcrafted sunnies , Printed Blazer set , Feather choker and Floral headpiece ! . . . . . Shot by @wavingflag.26 . . . #paramsahib #alokvaidmenon #style #genderlessfashion #genderlessclothing #fashionforall #fashion #maxinalism
[Book review 📚 : Beyond the gender binary by Alok Vaid-Menon] • Hello everyone ! The other day I finished this book on my kindle and it was really interesting. Gender is a complex yet fascinating topic. It interests me personally and within the scope of my teaching job. • After a first autobiographical part, the author put a Q&A together to answer questions or critics about gender. • This book is short. It's a good way to enter the subject, before reading more developed books. • 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈/5 • #book #bookstagram #beyondthegenderbinary #alokvaidmenon #gender #lgbtqia #lgbtq🌈 #pride🌈 #selfimprovement #selfeducation
Grief broke down in phrases And extrapolated lines From me without myself Tear-stained pillow of stone I felt I was lying Beside him in the coffin Edward Hirsch * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazmodeldancer during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
That's something that art does, is it makes you feel like the parts of yourself that are incompatible with this world actually are fundamental to the world we're creating. And so when I say my diagnosis is that the Olympic-sized pool of grief is there, is that the true drowning is above surface, not below. The true drowning is people walking around thinking that they're alive, protecting themselves from the grief, but the protection becomes the actual instrument of violence. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @meggited during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
I am a tiny seashell that has secretly drifted ashore and carries the sound of the ocean surging through its body. Edward Hirsch * * gouache drawing inspired by @meggited during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
But the issue is that we keep on having conversations with abusive systems rather than friends. So people are looking and witness through the latest, political figure who has promised them some paradise rather than someone who actually cares about them and is approximate. And that's why I appreciate that idea of approximate, because we in this culture, are taught to put people on pedestals and to look up rather than look across. And I think looking across is so much more fun to do, to answer, who are your heroes confidently, saying, my friends, and to live a life such that your heroes are your friends and your friends are your heroes. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @hjmodelevivant during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart #alokvaidmenon
I feel very nervous that the only forms of art that we recognize are the institutionalized forms. And Ocean, (...) says, survival is never an accident. It is always a creative act. And so in order for people to live, they are making creative decisions every day. What you do with a limited budget to survive is art. And yet the only forms of art that we end up recognizing, legitimizing are the finished forms of "here's a poem". But in order for me to write that poem, there's an entire life. And there's a way in which colonialism has made us value objects over people. And so we are haunted by that legacy of anthropology. We are haunted by that legacy of museum culture, which values the art object more than the life. And that's what allows scenarios like now a live action remake of The Little Mermaid where Ursula is based off of Divine, the drag queen is still not cast by a drag queen. That was related in my head that what it allows is the extraction of queer life, of queer genius, of queer beauty, of queer glamor, of queer sensibility, and the disarticulation of queer life. Right. This has been the underbelly of transvisibility, we're more visible than ever and more vulnerable than ever. Because what gets treasured is our affect, not us, or our ways of being in it. And I feel very cautious of that even in settings like this where people will say, I'm so inspirational, but then there's not actually the shift of the material conditions that require me to have to be inspirational, where people will say that I'm so articulate, but then there's no actual paying attention to disrupting the systems that require me to be articulate in order to beg for my life, where people will feel comfortable congratulating and lauding me for my fashion and my aesthetics in a performance context, but not when I'm next to them in public. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @human_flowering * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart
Writing is my practice of contemplation and prayer. I've only developed that language and awareness recently. I think that what happens for me when I write is maybe what happens for a lot of people when they meditate, it's a moment where they can actually synthesize things that they've seen or been through and actually reflect on them from a distance. And therefore, everything that I write is a love poem because it's love that requires me to witness every single thing. I feel the things that I couldn't feel in the moment, what it felt like to lose someone. I don't know what it feels like to lose someone immediately until I write about it. And then I feel through the process of writing that it is a discovery. And for a long time, I thought of writing as just a hobby, then it became a job. But now I really am very clear about it. It is my spirituality. It is my spiritual practice. It's about making things with my hands that I don't recognize with my eyes. It's about channeling something so much greater than me. It's about zooming into a truth, returning to it. And continually, whenever I write, of course it takes different shapes, just like a florist will make different arrangements. But at its core is love. I return to love, always, when I'm writing. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazmodeldancer during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
And I think that it's so much easier to fool people than it is to convince people that they've been fooled. I think it is so much easier to teach people than it is to remove the lie. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @hjmodelevivant during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #alokvaidmenon #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
Un bon petit livre avec les bases pour comprendre comment la société nous limite selon notre genre. Et comment on devrait ne pas se limiter. Destiné aux personnes cis comme non-cis, personnellement je savais déjà beaucoup de choses écrites là-dedans mais ça fait du bien de les lire. À la fin, y'a plus de détails sur la rhétorique anti-trans et des contre-arguments (si on veut être allié.e ou pour soi-même). Ça se lit en 2 heures. 😁 #alokvaidmenon #pocketchangecollective #penguinworkshop #nonfiction #essai #lgbt #beyondthegenderbinary
That's the crisis, right? We only become known, we only become legible if we ascribe to finite categorizations. If we pay fidelity to the idea that there are historical events. Like I did this, I sold out this show, but I hope that when I die, the obituaries don't just list the accolades, they list the frenetic energy of ordering a hot chocolate at 3:00 AM on a delivery app. That becomes part of my biography because it's just as important. It's just as important. All the things that get left on the cutting room floor with the stories we tell about ourselves are just as important as the stories that make it on the stage. All of the self hatred that was required for us to love ourselves is just as important as the love on the other side. We need a kind of radical embrace of everything. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @sofiaartmodel * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #alokvaidmenon #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
But I think when I am writing I’m going back. I think it’s important for us to go back and say thank you to who we were, to go back and rescue that person and actually invite them into the present. I think writing is a dispersing of selves. When you sit down to write and to do your work, you must gather the phantoms in one place so they can work together. Ocean Vuong in a conversation with Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @artmodelandrea3.0 * * #weeklyandreadrawing #quotes #quotesandart #alokvaidmenon #oceanvuong #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
But I’m more interested in having a conversation about the wounds that had to happen to you in order for you to insult me. How have you become so conditioned to your perpetual unfreedom, that you mistake it as being alive? Alok Vaid-Menon in a conversation with Ocean Vuong * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazmodeldancer during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
Yet, they’ve made it so that the artists always self-regulate. People get really uneasy when you say, ‘My life is art.’ This. The present tense is worthy of art. I think there’s a great discomfort in the Western gaze, because immediately they want to say, ‘You’re pretentious. There’s museums where things are housed, there’s the stage where you get to speak your art. You can’t speak it here, not in front of me at the grocery store.’ When I really assess Western culture in how it grapples with other bodies and other ecologies of thinking, at the end of the day, my response is: please catch up. And I do mean – please – because we want you to catch up, we want you to be here, because where you’re at is a quicksand that’s killing you. Ocean Vuong in a conversation with Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazmodeldancer during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
There’s a lot of this argument of ‘Well, you’re just doing poetry, you’re not doing rocket science’ or ‘Just put your head down and work.’ And I think the informant of that, the greatest influence of that shame, is capitalism. The sadness is that we’ve allowed this patriarchal tradition to dominate us so much. Meanwhile, the folks who are building the weapons in the military-industrial complex, the folks who are designing the ‘medicines’ that often make us sick and make us dependent on the pharmaceutical companies, they’re not saying, ‘Be humble to each other!’ They’re not saying, ‘Be grateful!’ They’re not saying, ‘Why don’t you pull back a little bit so that nuclear bomb, you know, has less circumference and radius.’ ‘That semi-automatic, let’s have it shoot ten less bullets.’ They never say that. Alok Vaid-Menon in a conversation with Ocean Vuong * * gouache drawing inspired by @hjmodelevivant during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
What does it say about someone who looks at the night sky – where so many see cohesion, and a sort of pinnacle, a utopia of storytelling – but for me to see loss, to see exit wounds? Ocean Vuong in a conversation with Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @hjmodelevivant during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
the meeting//reopening unhealed wounds it's all just pain now. . #surrealdrawing #lineart #bizarreart #illustration #bloodyart #woundart #bodyhorrorart #weirdart #artjournal #visualjournal #darksurrealart #journalpage #scribbleart #alokvaidmenon #housesong #searows #courtesyofhisdeanshipandthepeoplewhobirthedme
The establishment still only understands creative work as the published work. But there’s so much that goes into it, a biography to our writing, which comes from living. Poetry, for me, is a mode of living. It’s actually about saying that there’s no standard grammar to life, not just to literature. You did a thoughtful series of stories on Instagram about metaphor, and one of the things that you said is that the work of writing isn’t just happening on the page, it’s happening in the mind. In that is an insistence that literature does not just belong in one place: it’s pervasive and omnipresent. Living is the artist residency. Alok Vaid-Menon in a conversation with Ocean Vuong * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazmodeldancer during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #oceanvuong #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
I’m not interested in translating myself to you. Ocean Vuong in a conversation with Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazghorbanidance during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #oceanvuong #quotesandart #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #alokvaidmenon #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
‘Where are you from?’ sets the geo-political coordinates of who belongs and who doesn’t. (...) Where are you really from? When we don’t offer the answer they presume, there’s chaos. What I notice you doing is troubling whether that should be the question we should be asking in the first place. You seem so much more concerned with being and becoming, than with origins. Alok Vaid-Menon in a conversation with Ocean Vuong * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazghorbanidance during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #lifedrawingsession #lifedrawingsessions #alokvaidmenon #quotes #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
I think many people are living life as if there's a carrot dangling on a string, continually told that if they just climb the tree, then they will experience the sweetness. But the tree bears no fruit. Continually told that if they ascend the ladder, they'll get where they're meant to go, but they just keep on ascending. It's the entire teleology of capitalist modernity, right? Work, work, work, work, work so that you can be promised on the other side, rest, relaxation, heaven, even, But what I believe is that heaven is a practice, not a promise. And I believe that it is possible to make heaven here on earth now. And I think the reason that many of the people that I love and many of the people that I am are targeted is because we're heaven making now. And that is profoundly uncomfortable to an entire consciousness and citizenry that has been fed the deliberate lie that they must wait, wait for pleasure, wait for combustion, wait for intimacy, wait for meaning, wait for love. I'm tired of waiting on a burning planet where the future is never and will never be a given. And I now have so much empathy for the fact that resentment is the curse. It keeps people continually envious of freedoms that they too can actualize. Now. It's just that they are wedded to fiction more so than reality. Fictions that have told them that they have to remain small, that they have to remain digestible. But what part of us is left when we're finished being consumed? Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @meggited during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
I find that the real grief is that everyone was wonderful once upon a time, and then got told to be reasonable. And I find that profoundly unreasonable. Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @sanazghorbanidance during a life drawing session hosted by @deryck.henley * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
First FAULTLess looks hit the SAF-AFTRA 2024 Red Carpet 1: @joeyking 2: @taylorzakharperez 3: @alokvmenon 4: @lavernecox 5: tanfrance 6: @ohadambrody 7: audramcdonald 8: @ChrisPerfetti #JoeyKing #taylorzakharperez #alokvaidmenon #lavernecox #tanfrance #adambrody #audramcdonald #chrisperfetti #sagawards #sagaftra #sagawards2024
I want to be farfetched. When people call me naive and idealistic, I say, thank you, who broke your heart? Alok Vaid-Menon * * gouache drawing inspired by @ameliasflying & @maudslow * * #alokvaidmenon #artmodels #akt #aktmalerei #aktzeichnen #aktzeichnung #gouachedrawings #gouacheartist #art #figurative #figurativeartworks #figuredrawing #figurativeart #figurativeartist #drawings #figurativeartists #figurativedrawings #lifedrawingart #lifemodeldrawing #artwork #referenceart
🌈✨ “Our existence is a resistance.” - Alok Vaid-Menon ✨🌈 💬 Find your inspiration today in the words of internationally renowned gender non-conforming writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Embrace the power of your existence. In a world that often seeks to hurt, confine, and categorize us, simply being ourselves is an act of defiance and liberation. Let’s celebrate the beauty and resilience of every individual within the LGBTQ+ community at Queer Spectra Arts Festival this year in May. 💖🏳️🌈 🌟
#nonbinary #gaypride #gay #nexbenedict #transgender #safespace #alokvaidmenon
Queer Joy beyond June? I was shocked too but you know I had to sign up for it right? 😉 Read about the fabulous night on my substack. Link 👇🏾 https://open.substack.com/pub/bwriteous/p/oh-to-experience-queer-joy-beyond?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2legyk #iwrite #writer #substack #queerjoy #alokvaidmenon #alokvmenon #alokliveinnepal
🎉✨ TODAY'S THE DAY! 🎉✨ The highly anticipated Nepal show by Alok Vaid-Menon is finally here, and you won't want to miss it! 🌟 Join us for the grand finale of this extraordinary set of poetry and comedy specials. 🎭📜 🔗🎟️ Hurry, secure your tickets now by clicking the link in the bio. Limited tickets also available at the door! —-- @alokvmenon’s poetry and comedy special is co-presented by Quixote’s Cove (@qcbookshop) and SPOKEN (@spokenfest). A big shout out to our supporters: @sfnepal @mayamanorhotel @kathmanduguesthouse @pvh_nepal @npbritish @afkathmandu @photocircle_np @esewa_official @ne_nepal @old_durbar @8848_vodka @snowmangin @barahsinghe @basecampoutdoorlifestyle Event Host: @parakramrana Opening Act by: @queerhonkytonk @shbreel @yumyum_im @ktwlabna @manoj_sanu_shivabhakti Special Market Vendors: @gaiaaccs.np @queeringmedicine @benishdhakal @bwriteous @your_little_crochet_shop @the_fxck_stall @kats_kraft23 Photo: @eivindhansen Design: @my.ig.artjournal #UnveilingtheMagic #ALOKLiveinKathmandu #AlokVaidMenon #LivePerformance #GrandFinale #DragShow #NepaliQueer #QueerCommunity #QueerMarket #ArtMarket #Poetry #Comedy #Netflix #ParakramRana
A celebration of queerness and identity like never before. Alok V. Menon will be performing this Friday on 16th of February at Park Village Resort. With an opening act by Queer Honky-Tonk this promises to be a magical night of poetry and comedy. Get your tickets from eSewa. To get your tickets go to : eSewa - Official Ticket Portal (esewaevents.com) #eSewa #eSewaChadaiChaNi #eSewaGaraun #eSewaEvents #alokvaidmenon
#alokvmenon #alok #alokvaidmenon #love
Finally got to shoot with the one that needs no introduction @alokvmenon - that too on home soil 🇮🇳 Thank you for being a role model and inspiration for not only me but to so many…for holding space, being unapologetically honest but most importantly for being able to see others as they are…outside of what others expect from them. - Thank you for this wonderful memory! Having heard you LIVE at @spokenfest was a real dream. - look @papadontpreachbyshubhika makeup @sandhyashekar nails @clawedbylacreme photos @saunakspace #degenderfashion #alokvaidmenon #pursuitofportraits