Jun–Jul 2022
In our inaugural campaign, we reflected on the definition of family through portraits of rainbow families in Singapore. These photos are a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ families exist, that queerness in families is celebrated, and that chosen families are families too.
rainbow families
photo participants
raised for LGBTQ+ groups
exhibition visitors
The focus of the campaign was to showcase rainbow families in Singapore through family portraits. We held our first round of photoshoot in May 2022 via an open call, where families could book slots through a website.
We held our second photoshoot at Alicia Community Centre in early June in collaboration with The T Project and TransBefrienders, who jointly invited over 100 individuals from the transgender and gender-diverse community.
In total, we captured over 90 rainbow families, whether blood or chosen.
During the photoshoots, participants were invited to write down notes of encouragement for those within the LGBTQ+ community, especially to those who may be struggling with their identities or who still face rejection at home.
The reception was tremendous — we never expected participants to fill up 8 booklets with more than 200 handwritten notes! Each note was scanned and uploaded below, and many of them were also printed and presented in the exhibition.
The family portraits and handwritten notes were the focus in this exhibition.
The space was designed to evoke an image of a closet exploding as words of encouragement fly out of it. All around the space, family portraits of rainbow families remind visitors that love and acceptance can always be found.
The exhibition ran from 24 June – 3 July at Projector X: Riverside, and was visited by a number of political office holders.
Fun fact: we had to make a last minute change of venue due to the exhibition’s IMDA rating, so the exhibition design had to be re-worked to fit the new space!
Kai spearheads Rainbow Families. He also runs kai.classified, a commercial content creation service.
XJ is a commercial concept photographer and the founder of Ugly Carrot Studio, a hybrid creative agency.
Yu Sheng is the founder of Heckin’ Unicorn, a local queer brand that gives back to the community.
Adzlynn is a filmmaker and freelance art director. She runs Studio 1914, a purpose-driven production company.
Kyle Malinda-White has spent the last few years in the LGBTQ+ community-building scene.
Eugene Soh is a digital artist who founded dude.sg, a creative tech studio.
