Joy is resistance*

* Available at Galerie ESPACE33 in Gatineau, Québec
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36″ x 36″ x 1.5″ acrylic on canvas.

You can collect this as a diptych with ‘Lust for life ‘.

The idea of joy as resistance originated in scholarship about slavery in the Atlantic world. To be joyful in spite of the the oppression of enslavement, in spite of the enslavers’ intention to dehumanize the enslaved was a powerful act. More recently, I’ve heard it used within the LGBTQ+ community in similar ways—having joy is an act of resistance against societal oppression and dehumanization. Joy is resistance and it’s both radical and profoundly human.

Similarly, having a lust for life in times when despair is so easy is an act of hope. Hope is the belief that different futures are possible, if only we take action (Bloch 1987). In this sense, hope is subversive because it acknowledges our potential as agents to effect a different future. Embodying hope is embodying a lust for life.

This is why I paint—so that I don’t get stuck in the dark stuff. So that I can see the beauty and power in humanity, even as the world burns.

Category: Manifestations of Resistance