Starchild Stela’s work is cute, magical, and bright; but all the same it is powerful feminist work. Most well known for their street art in Montreal, Stela makes art that is as accessible as it is important, touching on healing motifs for survivors of abuse. Regardless of the medium — whether a mural, a personal zine, or a print — the focus stays grounded in Stela’s life experiences of queerness and emotionality.
Stela is certainly a pioneer of feminist graffiti. The positive power of their work is startling, considering how serious abuse as a topic in visual art can often appear. However, this “pastel-bubblegum-cutesy” approach is still hard-hitting in its depiction of the great strength in outer softness and femme presentation. In such works like their “Non-Binary Affirmation Zine,” Stela creates solidarity with a group of people often minimized and erased by societal expectations of gender expression and identity. Playing with pop culture icons like Agent Dana Scully from the X-Files and Sailor Moon, they pay homage to femme icons that still inform feminist dialogues today.
Working in their community with other feminist artists like Ambivalently Yours and Laurence Philomene, Starchild Stela presents a beautiful vision of femininity in their art that offers positive affirmations to survivors, femmes, and female-bodied people alike. Check them out on their zine shop, Etsy, Facebook, and Patreon to support and purchase their work.
Images via Patreon, Etsy, Facebook
More From BUST
This Street Artist Is Making Guerrilla Art On Her Own Terms: BUST Interview
Kristin Kontrol Models Trendsetting Translucence In These Stunning Photos
Where Are All The Smart Women In ‘Geek Comedies’?