Finding the winged weirdo within

Damian Mellin's freaky new art show opens May 4


The first time Damian Mellin was called a fairy, he took it as a compliment. A fierce and fabulous five-year-old, he turned up at school one day with his nails painted bright red. Imagining the other kids would be jealous of his crimson talons, when the slur was tossed his way, he wore it like a badge of honour, at least for the first few days.

“When you think about what a fairy actually is, it’s not a bad thing at all,” the Toronto-born, Newmarket-based artist says. “They’re mythical creatures with the ability to fly and all sorts of magical powers. At that age you’re often hearing fairy tales, so I thought it was a positive thing. I was already realizing I was gay, and I thought people could see it but were recognizing it as something good. It was about a week before I figured out it was a bad thing, and I wouldn’t be able to express it for a long time.”

Mellin’s current show aims to reclaim the term and celebrate pride through difference. Composed of nearly 30 pieces, it includes sculptural works, installation and posters, all encouraging us to release the winged weirdo within. Touching on issues around the history of AIDS, the show posits freakiness, not as a cause of adversity, but as a means of dealing with it.

“Queers have the ability to be ridiculously fierce while going through incredibly hard times,” he says. “There’s a top-down pressure that comes from both the gay community and the straight world telling us that we should aim to be the same as everyone else. In reality, we’re quite different. Queers have something special about us, which means sometimes we’re going to get harassed. But what’s special about us is what enables us to survive.”

Magic Fairy Freakshow

Opening Sat, May 4, 8pm

Runs until Wed, May 29

Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St

gladdaybookshop.com

mellincreative.ca

Chris Dupuis

Chris Dupuis is a writer and curator originally from Toronto.

Read More About:
Culture, Toronto, Arts

Keep Reading

In “Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt,” Brontez Purnell balances on a knife edge between hilarity and despair

Purnell's new memoir turns heaviness into humour, and exposes the bleakness under what seems silly and light

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 power ranking: Designing women

Who among our top five will fall short of the finale?

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 recap: Bathroom babes

The infamous room design challenge returns, this time with … restrooms?

Bollywood flair quickens the tender heart of ‘The Queen of My Dreams’

Filmmaker Fawzia Mirza discusses her feature debut and how the intergenerational drama echoes much of her own life