Ricardo D. Peris' Satirical, Graphic Artwork Fights Oppression

OUT spoke with Ricardo D. Peris, the satirical artist who critiques gay dating culture with his graphic illustrations. His brutally honest depictions of gay love, depression, and hookup culture resonates with every gay millennial who sets eyes upon his work. The 25 year-old artist is currently living in Copenhagen, pursuing a masters degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

OUT: What inspires your artwork?

RDP: People assume that my inspiration comes from the queer "funny" world, but it is actually a response of the oppression that I felt growing up in a closed-minded culture. My main inspiration are hypocrisy and some of my uncles, specially that one who won't even glance in my direction.

They preach for a freedom they don't want for me (as a gay person and as an artist) such as protesting for traditional family values or like punishing me for drawing a star with my own poop at my grandma's bathroom when I was four (this one makes sense but it was a good drawing, one of my darkest so far). I was told not to be gay or draw, and now I do both with a purpose. I just wanted to be free!

OUT: What do you hope to achieve through your art?

I started making illustrations as an exercise to liberate myself. I recommend everyone to find a channel of expression that makes them feel the same way. What I hope to achieve through my illustrations is the normalization of the queer world by using humour. At the end of the day It's all about not taking life so seriously and respecting everyone. Since my uncles still don't like my stuff, at this point, I'm just thankful to make some people feel less... crappy.