Contrast Collective changing the scene

With so much great art being produced in the city, it can be easy for new and upcoming projects to get overlooked, especially projects created by minority groups. Vancouver is a dynamic city that has a lot to offer, but it seems to push aside women and non-binary people of color in the art scene. However, Contrast Collective, a local initiative that focuses on the expression and growth of people of colour, aims to provide an artistic platform for those who may have a harder time finding one here in Vancouver. The creators explain, “Our objective is to cultivate conversation about race, dysphoria, identity, culture, sexuality, appropriation, and fetishism of minorities, and about those who have been ridiculed or demoted to only their sexuality, the colour of their skin, or their culture.”


The collective was created by Molly Randhawa, a local South Asian writer and artist, and Zoei Nijjar, an Indo-American studying communications at SFU. The duo is working to craft their first print publication and release it in the summer of 2017. Alyssa Manalo, a SFU communications and design student, has taken up the role of graphic designer, and is helping to create designs for the collective, such as the one posted below.


If you are a woman of color or a non-binary person of color and is interested in sharing your artwork and growing your network, you can send submissions to contrastvancouver@gmail.com by Monday, April 24 2017. The duo says, “We are looking to explore experiences involving: growing up in western culture as a POC, identity, dating, discrimination within the workplace, school, and everyday life.” Once submissions are in, the collective plans on creating a zine completely created by women and non-binary people of color.


For more information, follow Contrast Collective on Facebook and Instagram at @contrastvancouver.