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.