A new project, a new crowd funder… and something exciting happening next week that I can’t tell you yet!! 🌈✨
28 June 2025
In this eflyer…
- A bit about Stonewall
- A new project: UNCUT
- Crowd Funder to support more Queer Art Projects
- Exhibition: The Identity Project – Paris Edition still on
- Hove Hands, a proud LGBTQIA+ massage and wellness space
Hello there,
This newsletter comes to you on the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising when the local LGBTQ+ community stood up to the police brutality and said enough is enough. In the flutter of a beaded lash, the global Pride movement was born.
And yet here we are, 56 years later, and still fighting for the rights of all LGBTQ+ people in those same countries and across the world.
Here in the UK our trans siblings are under constant barrage politically, legislatively and in the media, and trans hate crime has more than doubled in 5 years.
In the US, the Trump administration is rolling back LGBTQ+ rights at a dizzying rate and has even made the National Park Service, who manage the Stonewall National Monument, only display the ‘traditional’ pride flag, hot on the heels of them removing the word “transgender” from their web page and removing the letter “T” from instances of the LGBTQ+ acronym (them).
And today, Saturday 28th June, Budapest Pride will take place despite a ban on LGBTQIA+ gatherings in the country handed down by the populist leader Viktor Orban, who said there would be “legal consequences” for those organising or attending the march (Reuters).
For all these reasons and more, Proud Studios exists to make space for LGBTQ+ voices, stories and creativity, and create projects that bring our community together, tackle isolation and offer vital visibility.
Queer art isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
📣 New Project Alert: UNCUT
Earlier this year I moved in to a new studio space, a former barbershop, and a new project was born.
UNCUT is a raw, striking portrait series capturing the power and pride of Queer Joy, shot in a barber’s chair. No filters, no retouching, no compromise. Just bold, beautiful people taking up space exactly as they are.
The Concept – Why A Barber’s Chair?
Barbershops have long been places of transformation — places where identities are shaped, confidence is built and stories are shared. But they haven’t always been welcoming for everyone. UNCUT reclaims that space for queer bodies, queer styles and queer joy. It’s about authenticity, visibility and saying this is me without hesitation.
Each subject sits in the chair, lit with precision, styled with edge and captured in their purest form. Every scar, freckle, line and expression stays in. No softening, no smoothing, no erasing. This is a celebration, not a sanitisation.
Why It Matters
Mainstream media still sanitises queerness — polishing it down, making it more ‘palatable’, airbrushing out the edges. Fuck that. Representation isn’t just about being seen, it’s about being seen truthfully. UNCUT challenges the idea that queer beauty needs to fit a mould. It’s about self-expression on our own terms, without compromise.
For marginalised communities, visibility is power. It affirms existence. It creates connection. It tells the next generation: You belong. You are enough. You are art.
Read more, see the pictures and get involved here:
Proud-Studios.co.uk/uncut
CROWD FUNDER TO SUPPORT LGBTQ+ ART PROJECTS
Queer art isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
Proud Studios exists to make space for LGBTQ+ voices, stories and creativity. Projects like UNCUT bring our community together, tackle isolation and offer vital visibility.
When queer people see themselves reflected in art, it helps build confidence, connection and belonging. When the wider world sees us, it challenges stereotypes and sparks understanding.
We’re raising funds to deliver more LGBTQ+ creative projects, more exhibitions and more collaborations.
Your support will help cover venue costs, materials, artist fees and outreach work, and support queer people from all backgrounds to take part.
This is about more than art. It’s about mental health, social cohesion and giving our community space to breathe and grow.
If you can, please donate. Share. Spread the word.
Let’s build something powerful – together.
crowdfunder.co.uk/proud-studios-uncut
Every donation makes a difference.
Three years ago I was lucky enough to work with an amazing queer-owned gallery in Paris to produce a set of portraits of the Parisian LGBTQIA+ community which was subsequently exhibited at Espace Canopy for Marche des Fiertés in June 2022. I was truly blown away by the generosity and openness of everyone who sat for me and the way they selflessly shared their stories and am delighted that the collaborative work is now on display in the UK for the first time.
You can catch it in person at Hove Hands (by appointment) or online here.
And lastly, Hove Hands my LGBTQIA+ massage and wellness studio right here in Brighton & Hove is fully open.
At Hove Hands, we believe in the power of touch to heal, rejuvenate, and bring about a sense of well-being. We understand the importance of creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone, and to provide an inclusive environment where you can truly relax and be yourself.
Find out more about Hove Hands and our services here, and if you are in the Brighton & Hove area, please do come along and book in for a treatment or maybe buy a voucher for a loved one and give the gift of relaxation. You’ll be supporting an independent queer business and investing in more LGBTQIA+ art projects.
It’s tough out there at the moment for arts and queer organisations, so thank you again for supporting Proud Studios and our projects. And if you can, please donate to the Crowdfunder. Share. Spread the word.
With gratitude and love,
Chris x
PS. as I mentioned in the title, there is something really exciting happening next week that I can’t tell you yet, but hopefully Insta will reveal all mid-week.