“The marginalised don’t have the privilege of existing in the world without their identity being ‘political’. I know this and Mxogyny know this. Working for them, I have a safe space to use my voice as a creative, Queer, Muslim, Pakistani woman of colour. My entire being aligns copacetically with Mxogyny.”
Azkha Khokhar, Editorial Team
There is a systemic issue with access and equality of opportunity in the arts worldwide. Many creatives face intersecting barriers due to their gender identity, race, sexuality, disability and/or class. Mxogyny was set up to address these issues by providing an opportunity for marginalised voices to share their creativity as part of a community connected by a spirit of mutual support and growth. We gather creatives from a variety of different backgrounds and ensure that their voice is heard via our website.
We believe that the exclusion of marginalised voices in the art world not only stifles the creative output of marginalised groups, but it limits the diversity of art people consume, with worrying consequences. For example, when 293 UK school teachers were asked to name any heroic or even humane Arab characters they had seen in movies, 287 could not offer an example. The lack of exposure of such groups in visual media erases them from public consciousness, making minority groups generally less visible as creative beings and allowing public perception of minority groups to be defined by those in power.
Mxogyny is a publication set up to offer an alternative to the status quo. By providing space to specifically platform the work of marginalised people, publications like ours challenge the underrepresentation of disadvantaged groups in the creative industry and allow marginalised creatives across the world to tell their own stories and amplify their own creative voices.
In early 2020, our team decided that it was time to plan for our first ever print edition. Over the past two years we have accumulated an array of rich and meaningful content for online publication, engaging with contributors from around 30 different countries. Nurturing an international community of creatives has been essential to the development of our organisation. We connect talent from around the world and provide an open and safe platform for their work. We believe in equality of opportunity in the arts & publishing sectors. Mxogyny feels that true fairness can only be realised in these industries if publications begin to reflect the world around them via the work they share.
While our website continues to grow, we recognise that print publications are becoming increasingly popular mediums for sharing creative work and we wanted to provide our contributors with something tangible to call their own. We have selected a powerful collection of thought pieces, poetry and illustrations to form our first print publication: Growing Pains. When COVID-19 put a halt to the daily runnings of the world, production was put on hold. Over ten months later, we can finally present Growing Pains to you in its most complete form.
We think now, more than ever, the ideas of growth and pain are strikingly relevant. We hope that this collection of work brings you some joy and happiness after this difficult period. It stands as a tribute to the connections we make through creativity and the importance of art as a resource in times of hardship.
Growing Pains is now available to purchase for £7 here. Profit will go towards the upcoming Mxogyny Project Fund which will provide grants to marginalised creatives in support of their artistic practices. Mxogyny are looking forward to expanding our international community of artists, poets and writers for years to come!