Justin J Wee: “There is no one way”

Brooklyn-based photographer Justin J Wee is one of the artists showing work in the Authority Collective’s group show, “Parallax,” which offers an alternate view of the contemporary queer experience from the eyes of queer and trans image-makers of color. Check out the work of our exhibiting artists at the first-ever Photoville Los Angeles from April 26–28 and May 2–5.

Jari and Corey from“Say You Love Me” by Justin J Wee. Jari: “We were best friends for five years, and everyone always thought that we were dating. The summer before we started dating, our relationship seemed to evolve a little bit, and I just remember laying on the beach cuddling and being affectionate. Then when Corey left to go back to school, she kissed me on the lips when she said goodbye. It was just super quick, and I said, “oh we’ve never done that before”, and she just smiled, shrugged, and walked away. I thought about that kiss for the entire semester.“

What informs your work? Why do you make the work you make?

“When I was 14, and living in Beijing, I would log on to the Out magazine website and read about Neil Patrick Harris (and maybe 5 other white gay men that queer media coverage constantly revolved around), then quickly close the window and delete my browser history.

While it was so important to my teen self to see that you could be gay and have a platform, I never saw myself in any of the men that were written about.

The work I do now represents my desire to celebrate the diversity and nuance of queer culture. I want to create as many reflections of us as possible because heteronormativity has taught us that in order to be accepted, we must be binarized, and I know that the categorization of our community will dilute us of so much of our power and beauty.”

Aki in “No One Way” by Justin J Wee. “The work I do now represents my desire to celebrate the diversity and nuance of queer culture,” Wee said. ”I want to create as many reflections of us as possible because heteronormativity has taught us that in order to be accepted, we must be binarized, and I know that the categorization of our community will dilute us of so much of our power and beauty.”

Why is it important for artists to image their own communities?

“There is no one way to be successful, there is no one way for us to embody ourselves and be present in our lives. So representation matters.”

How can the photo and film industries better support queer and trans artists of color?

“More grants! More access! More jobs! More money! More space!”

Follow Justin J Wee on Instagram and check out his work at http://www.justinjwee.com. Justin is a photographer, writer, and community chef based in Brooklyn and London. He is the co-founder of Special Sauce, and co-founder of Communion, a not-for-profit queer only monthly dinner series.