Meet Yamuna Forzani: Multidisciplinary Artist and Queer Activist

How do you personally define Pride, and what does it mean to you?

At its core, Pride is a protest. The first person to throw a brick at the Stonewall riots in 1969 was Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman of color, which started the global uprising of gay liberation. Personally it’s always a time to honor those who paved the way, to learn more about our queer history and to come together and celebrate. As a member of the LBGTQ+ community I go to a lot of Pride parties as well as protests. 

What sparked your interest in textiles, and why did you choose to focus on this medium? 

I have always been someone who likes to work with their hands. When I was a kid I would make fashion collections for my Barbie dolls, my grandma taught me how to sew and knit garments. Since then it’s always been a fascination to create things with fabrics. 

Can you describe your creative process and share what inspires and motivates you?

My practice centers around a desire to build my queer utopia that celebrates my community, who are my biggest inspiration. My work takes form through textile, and I explore this medium in collaboration with other design, artistic and social initiatives – often involving, organizing events, dance performances, embedding fashion and costume, public art and versatile installations.

How would you describe your style?

I honestly don’t think I have a particular definable style, I am either completely overdressed, almost naked, or in sweatpants.

Can you tell us more about your Utopia Ball x Fashion Show and the influence of the Ballroom scene on your work? 

I was first introduced to the Ballroom scene in 2016 when a member of the Kiki House of Angels, Marie Lea, came to a video casting I was doing at my art school. She started voguing and I immediately was enchanted by the energy she was tapping into, it was so powerful. She invited me to my first ball and my life changed forever. I had never been to an event where people were celebrating one another in such a genuine uplifting way and after that I was hooked. I organised the first Utopia Ball x Fashion Show in 2018 after being in New York for 3 months connecting with my house – the house of Comme Des Garçons- and walking balls. The first Utopia ball was in The Hague and I had judges come from Paris, New York as well as the Netherlands. In the middle of the ball I showed my latest fashion collection, dressing everyone in the scene and they danced down the runway. It was a huge task and a massive learning experience but it was also totally worth it. Since then I have been organizing balls mixed with fashion shows showcasing other designers from the scene – The Utopia Ball became a platform for emerging designers. For us, by us. In 2022 I won the Dutch design awards for this concept and art direction!

Can you share a memorable moment from your participation in the Ballroom scene?

I think the first time I walked a ball was the most memorable; it was 2017 at the Paris Awards Ball and I walked in the category called ‘Best Dressed’. The category was calling for an outfit based on one of the Pride flags, so as a proud bisexual I made a dress that was purple, blue and pink. I took the Night flixbus from Den Haag and arrived in Paris that morning on barely any sleep. By the time the ball started, I was so nervous walking that I barely have any recollection of it. All I remember is going up to Jean Paul Gaultier, who was one of the judges (*scream*) and telling him ‘I made this myself’ and getting my 10s. It was wild. A special mention is also the ball I walked in New York where THE Rihanna was judging aaaahhh… ok but thats another story…

How do you see the intersection of fashion and activism in your work?

I think fashion is inherently political, the way we express ourselves to the world and the costumes that we wear, the way we perform gender is all very political. In my fashion I dress all bodies, I used to call my fashion genderFULL instead of genderless, because I never want to make anything less. I want to take up space and demand attention in my work. The people I dress come in all forms and I think that is beautiful and so important. My goal is to uplift and celebrate. I will dress anyone that resonates with my work.

With ‘Together’ as the theme for Pride Amsterdam 2024, what does that look like to you and what do you hope to see in the future of Pride? 

I think that ‘Together’ as a theme is a vague word, it’s casting a large net without being offensive. Especially as Pride Amsterdam is a commercial event, I feel like they don’t want to make any kind of statement this year. I hope that in the future Pride will make a bolder statement. Listen to the queer community, what are we saying? Well.. at the moment we are screaming for Palestine, Sudan and Congo. In the words of Marsha P. Johnson ‘no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us’.

What advice would you give to aspiring queer artists?

Believe in yourself to the extent of being delusional and practice rejection therapy. This year my new year’s resolution was to apply to as many open calls, residencies and prizes as I possibly could. I got A LOT of rejection emails but also a lot of opportunities too, most of all it made me get over the fear of putting my work out there. My other advice would be to find your community, this could also be online, and try and collaborate as much as possible. You learn so much through collaborations and that also gives me so much motivation to continue as well.