Chosen Family
“I made a piece inspired by Blood Orange’s monologue ‘family’”
—Ilma Rashid on “Chosen Family”
"You asked me what family is And I think of family as community I think of the spaces where you don't have to shrink yourself Where you don't have to pretend or to perform You can fully show up and be vulnerable And in silence, completely empty and That's completely enough You show up, as you are, without judgment, without ridicule Without fear or violence, or policing, or containment And you can be there and you're filled all the way up We get to choose our families We are not limited by biology We get to make ourselves And we get to make our family.’ (blood orange, ‘family’)"
Ilma Rashid is an aspiring artist, stylist and styler, but overall is passionate about most creative fields. Her art work is heavily inspired from collages and moodboard compositions and the themes that inspire it mostly stem from fashion, identity, culture and social advocacy. Artists like Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O Keeffe, and Petra Collins are some of her biggest inspirations and the idea that art is the biggest tool for expressing messages about social injustices is one of her biggest mantras.