Neelopol Dey

My work emerges from my own experiences of navigating identity, vulnerability and queerness in a world where being yourself is not always easy. For a long time, I found myself seeking acceptance and trying to fit within binary expectations, often at the cost of myself. Over time, making art has become a way for me to resist those expectations, reclaim my identity and explore what it means to lead a life one is naturally comfortable with. I draw from moments of intimacy, solitude, shame, joy and vulnerability, as well as from memories and photographs. The figures and spaces I create often appear calm on the surface while carrying a sense of turmoil underneath. That contrast is deeply personal to me—it reflects the experience of presenting one version of yourself to the world while protecting another, more private self within.

Through my work, I want to make space for those hidden selves: for queer lives, relationships and experiences that are often concealed, judged or overlooked. For me, the act of making them visible is also an act of resistance, acceptance and reclamation.