Jesse: “Mykki Blanco is an artist who I admire because of the way their queer identity and their artistic work are merged. Mykki works with multiple disciplines and uses them to tell stories from their perspective as a black queer person. I love how Mykki lives their art. Mykki’s fashion, music, performances and everything they do feels like it is all part of their identity as a queer person but also as an artist.

In the documentary ‘out of this world’ you get a beautiful image of Mykki Blanco, while also grasping their vulnerable side. Mykki meets different black queer artists in South Africa where they all share different stories. They also play a very active role in the art pieces of the people encountered.

I envy Mykki’s view on the fluidity of gender (expression). I feel like how Mykki talks about gender, sexuality, being HIV positive and other similar topics is very beautiful. It shows me, as a queer artist, that this is what I would like to see in the future. Totally normalizing queer experiences and, in Mykki’s case, especially black queer narratives with a vulnerable approach.”

“What strikes me the most is how Mykki is able to translate their own utopian norm in their artistic practice. I feel like I get invited in Mykki’s world where their rules exist, unapologetically. I feel like that’s something I am also trying to integrate in my own artistic practice. Creating an queer utopia from my own perspective in collaboration with the people I work with.

What I would love to explore, related to Mykki’s approach is to integrate disciplines like audio, music and performance and see how I could create my own world through all sorts of media.”

Mykki Blanco is an American rapper performance artist, poet and activist.