Love stories with Pride

Celebrating Pride is about liberation, community, festivity, and human rights. And at its core lies love—love for oneself in all authenticity and love for whoever captures your heart.

In ‘Love Stories with Pride’ we share love stories from within the LGBTQIA+ community, as interpreted by artist Joy Yamusangie.

ALICE AND JENNIFER’S LOVE STORY, ARTWORK BY JOY YAMUSANGIE.

"Jen brings out in me a version of myself that feels more true than when I'm anywhere else."

Alice & Jennifer

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“My first in-person memory of Alice is when we first met. I remember standing outside the subway station, waiting to see which car Alice was driving. I soon learned that when she said ’pick me up,’ she meant she would walk to meet me and not literally have a car. We shared a good laugh. On the way home, we held hands.”
– Jennifer

“My first memory is when we FaceTimed for the first time. We hadn't met in person yet, and both thought this was a nice way to introduce ourselves. I was so excited to see if this mystical person I had been talking to for the last few weeks was real. We became partners and best friends immediately. Since then, we’ve been learning how to be the best of both of those things for each other. Jen brings out in me a version of myself that feels safer than when I’m anywhere else.

Although the nature of our jobs has us separated for long periods of time, we talk to each other and grow together every day. Even if she's not physically standing with me, she's always got my back and stands by my side metaphorically.

She inspires me in everything she does, and I love not to let her forget that. I’ve learned from Jen that asking for help does not make you a burden. She’s shown me that to be in a community, you must allow others to help you.”
– Alice

“RUTH AND BABE” BY JOY YAMUSANGIE.

“They extended their love outwards, making refuge for other Black Gay and Lesbian people.”

Ruth & Babe

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“The love story of Babe Franklin and Ruth Ellis inspires me. They lived together in Detroit in the ’40s and extended their home to the Black Gay and Lesbian community. Their home became known as the ‘Gay Spot’; it was a place for refuge. There are so many different ways to love, and their story shows how they extended their love to the community. I imagine Ruth and Babe would have been providing their home not just to their friends but also to friends of friends and strangers who were part of the community. They really advocated for the community. I was thinking about how different it must have been, being Black and queer in 1940s America and how special their home would have been to so many people.

Ruth and Babe made me think about ways that I could do that more with my own home, sharing space and extending my love to my friends. Small ways of loving like that.”
– Joy Yamusangie

JOY AND ELLEN’S LOVE STORY BY JOY YAMUSANGIE.

“She just asked me my name, and that’s how it all started.”

Joy & Ellen

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“We wouldn’t have met if she wasn’t so confident. Ellen and I actually met at work. We didn’t work together, but instead she worked on the floor above the shop I worked at. I was running some kind of errand for my manager which meant going into the offices upstairs, which rarely happens because people in retail never really go to that floor. She must have thought she’d never seen me before. I had never seen her because I had never visited the office. And then, at that moment, we met. She just asked me my name, and that’s how it all started.”
– Joy

“I LOVE HEARING ABOUT LOVE, DRAWING ABOUT LOVE, AND FEELING LOVE.”

MEET THE ARTIST

Joy Yamusangie

Inspired by stories of LGBTQIA+ love, artist Joy Yamusangie has made three new paintings portraying three love stories, one of them being their own. During Pride, the love story portraits are on display at & Other Stories stores in Bryant Park, NYC, and Regent Street, London.

“Love, in the many forms I’ve been blessed to receive it, often finds its way into my work.”
- JOY YAMUSANGIE

READ INTERVIEW

How does love shape your art?
JOY: I think about love a lot. So love, in the many forms I’ve been blessed to receive it, often finds its way into my work. Not just romantic love but also the love you can have for your friends and family. Sometimes, I think, surely everybody must be thinking about love. Then I remember that I grew up on a lot of rom-coms, so I might just be more obsessed.

How has it been turning love stories into artworks for ’Love Stories with Pride’?
JOY: I love hearing about love, drawing about love, and feeling love, so being asked to turn people’s love stories into paintings felt very organic to me. I understand how personal it is, so I am grateful to be trusted.

How do you typically start making artwork?
JOY: My process is intimate. I listen to the radio and scribble my thoughts and feelings into my sketchbook. I never show the pages of my sketchbook–it is even more personal than the artworks themselves. I then turn some of these drawings into sketches, sew and prime my canvases, and start painting. I use acrylics, oil bars, pastels, and pens. Trusting my instincts, I let the artwork evolve naturally.

What led you to become an artist?
JOY: Simply put, I love colour, illustration, telling stories, and building worlds with my art. I used to make loads of comics as a kid, and I saw how much my younger sibling loved my stories, which gave me so much encouragement. I’ve been making them ever since.

Why do you believe we need to portray LGBTQIA+ love stories, past and present?
JOY: I feel it’s crucial to document LGBTQIA+ love stories, so that people can look back and see that we existed and that they’re not the only ones. So, it’s important for me to document who they were and who we are right now so that their stories are forever remembered.

How do you celebrate Pride?
JOY: I celebrate Pride in my own way with my family, my partner, and my friends. Pride is a way of celebrating who we are and the people who paved the way and made it possible for us to be who we are now. I feel proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

What role does art play in social and political movements like Pride?
JOY: There is power in art and imagery. Art can help spread the message, communicate information and tell a story that can spread widely regardless of language barriers. Whether it is making placards, making films, or comics, the outcome highlights LGBTQIA+ issues in a form that is widely accessible.

What motifs do you use to express love in your art?
JOY: I used to hate drawing hands because it’s really difficult, but I’ve been doing more of it. Small hand gestures, such as a hand placed on a lover’s face or a friend’s back, communicate love and feeling more than words can.

Joy Yamusangie is a visual artist based in the UK. Find them at @joyyamusangie.

& Other Stories is in connection to Pride making a donation to the United Nations Free & Equal Campaign, which champions equal rights and fair treatment of the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community. Learn more at unfe.org.

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Love stories with Pride