The Homo Post is proud to present our first featured LGBTQ Artist; the endlessly creative Achraf Amiri.
The Brussels-born illustrator and all-round creative became recognised for his fashion-inspired and often politically-charged interpretations of current affairs and pop culture references.
Achraf’s creative style of elongated features and those signature exaggerated eyelashes are now so distinctly recognisable as his own.
It’s no surprise that this signature style, which is based on technical fashion illustration, got recognised by some of the fashion worlds’ greats. He’s far too modest to boast for himself so I’ll do it for him: Vogue, ELLE and Nike to name a few.
I caught up with him to delve deeper into what makes him tick.
LEARN THE RULES – THEN BREAK THEM
“My creative journey started like with most kids by developing a strong imagination around the age of 3-4. As I grew up, I naturally ended up studying art, which is great at teaching you the academic aspects of drawing: proportions, perspectives, volumes and so on…
Once I’ve mastered the traditional ways of drawing and after graduating as a Graphic Designer, I decided to break the rules and started drawing freely with only my emotions as guidance.
For me, to be creative is to be in a constant loop of enthusiasm versus melancholy.”
CAPTIVATING CHAOS
“I’m mostly inspired by the times we live in. Chaos and tragedy are what makes me react.
Drawing is before anything else a therapy for me, hence my personal way of coping with moments of crisis. Today’s cultural, social and political environments are undeniably captivating.”
REMAIN AUTHENTIC TO YOURSELF
“To the next generation of LGBTQ artists I say: Remain authentic to yourself. As long as you are following your heart, everything else will become clear as you learn and progress.”
GET MORE ACHRAF
You can get your regular dose of Achraf’s work in his own magazine titled ILLUSTRASHION which he launched in 2014.
He exhibits his current work on his Instagram and you can even get your hands on prints and merch at www.achrafamiri.com!
