On Nov. 9, 2016, then 30-year-old social worker, Kelz, awoke that morning to the announcement that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States, triggering Kelz into a severe anxiety attack, causing them to go into early labor and birthing their daughter after being on bedrest for the last three months of their pregnancy.

Kelz, who is a non-binary and queer artist, based in Detroit, reflects, “There’s a lot of fear in politics for anybody who’s not a rich, white, cis, heterosexual man. My daughter is bi-racial. I freaked out knowing who I was carrying and the desire and the love that I have for her to be able to live a life that doesn’t have extra barriers.”

Belonging to a historically oppressed group and a “non-traditional” family, Kelz is a fierce advocate for communities that face stigmatization. Their passion for social justice and mental health awareness is a frequent theme in their art. “All of my art is either creating awareness, advocating for certain social justice issues, or expressing things that are going on with me. My art is my therapy,” Kelz shares.

Two of their many pieces depicting social justice issues are embellishment prints that read “silence = death,” a slogan attributed to the ACT UP campaign that was established in March of 1987 for AIDS awareness. The pink background and triangle in the embellishments symbolize the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals in Nazi Germany, a symbol that the LGBTQ+ community has reclaimed. The other embellishment of Kelz’s applies this slogan to the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza, featuring the Palestinian flag as the background. Part of the profit from the embellishment prints Kelz creates is donated to humanitarian aid for refugees displaced by the war in Gaza.

Kelz’s artwork is often vulnerable, their piece, “Vexatious Liberation”, depicts a tongue branching off into two, the top tongue holding a bloodied knife, and the bottom one with a key. Kelz drew inspiration for this piece from their divorce. “That was when I finally decided to leave my husband,” Kelz says, “The idea behind it is that words can be freeing, but they also hurt” and “about having a lot of big emotions all at once.”

A notable aspect of Kelz’s paintings expresses the importance of such vulnerability and authenticity, frequently featuring human eyes and anatomically correct hearts. Kelz elaborates: “Looking into someone’s eyes can show glimpses of them that maybe you wouldn’t see otherwise. I think that a lot of the reason why there’s hate in this world is because we don’t choose to get to know other people. I feel like if we would take time to look into each other’s eyes we wouldn’t have as much hate,” and critiques mainstream media’s shallow depiction of love. Kelz adds, “The anatomical heart represents to me that this (love) is real. You can love, and you can lose, you can grow apart, and you can be hurt. All those things exist. And I think if we expand our view of what love is and what it can be, we will have more abundant lives full of different types of love.”

The Detroit artist draws inspiration from other LGBTQ+ artists and social justice champions, including Audre Lorde, Frida Kahlo, and Keith Harring.
Kelz’s daughter and her growing voice have also significantly impacted their art. Though Kelz can admittedly find their daughter’s outspokenness challenging at times, it has inspired them to continue fighting for human rights through their careers as a social worker and artist. “It’s amazing because not everybody feels that they have that voice,” Kelz says.

For more information about Kelz’s art, visit their Instagram, @kelz.creates.