"My Home in My Home." By Bonnie Quigley. (She/Her)

Bonniequigley on both TikTok and Instagram

"I’m Bonnie, and I am an artist from Derry in the North of Ireland. I’ve had to fight for my right to be Irish my whole life, since the North is still controlled by the British Government. Alongside that, I’ve grown up knowing I was gay in this catholic country. I want my piece to showcase the beauty of Ireland, and the beauty of lesbian love - both their own entities. Neither having to be political or religious."

The piece I am submitting features 9 images that I have drawn, each one an iconic place in Ireland. My girlfriend and our dog mean everything to me, and I think they make every single thing in this life better. So I wanted to add them into each image. In some they are quite obvious, but in others they are hard to spot. Each one just as meaningful as the others. They are my muse and always will be. Each drawing also has a description below it, some simply stating where they are, but others I have added in wee details - just because I felt like it. This piece is so important to me because it mixes two huge parts of myself (my Irish and lesbian identities) and completely simplifies them down to something that is just beautiful. Both of these identities have always been something that someone can argue against. My Irishness constantly being undermined because I am from the North, and my lesbianism being seen as ‘unnatural’. But this piece, it just is. It’s beautiful and that’s it.