“Obviously, Queer people suffer a lot of discrimination and a lack of support for a variety of reasons,” he says. As a result, he decided to keep QYAC going but as an online platform he began selling portraits of people via Instagram and then Queer House Party started.įor Fredde, this is illustrative of the strength of the community. “I think that moments of crisis are very formative for most people, but my fear over finances and my restlessness kinda shot me into one of the more productive periods of my life since university,” says the illustrator, who also goes by FreddeLanka. Much of this work involved meeting young people face-to-face, so the thought of being stuck inside was particularly worrying. Ordinarily a “very restless person”, he says he used to spend his days pre-Covid working across a variety of things, from his youth group, Queer Youth Art Collective (QYAC), to The Outside Project (the UK’s first LGBTQIA+ shelter and community centre), as well as his illustration practice.

Here’s the background on the backgrounds.įor illustrator Fredde Andersson, lockdown came with a high level of anxiety. This week, to launch the series and to celebrate Pride month, we’ve worked with the London-based illustrator Fredde Andersson on a series of Zoom backdrops for any upcoming socially distanced celebrations.

This summer, we’ve partnered with Converse to produce a series of articles and creative commissions to inspire and encourage everyone to get creating, even through the lockdown.

Gay zoom background