Like many great artists, Joebert Tupas describes struggling with the idea of ‘normalcy’ as a child. Born and raised in the Philippines, he grew up in a conservative environment where people often told him what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s normal, and what’s not. “I was scared to express myself. I let people bully me because I thought there was something wrong with me,” Tupas said when we sat down with him for a virtual chat recently. “It just left me really confused and I was scared to express my sexuality,” he added.
All of that changed, Tupas says, when he moved to New York and discovered photography. The medium allowed him to express himself and embrace his identity in a way he had previously struggled to do. “I had a hard time communicating before and I used photography to really tell my story, engage with people. It helped me to really put myself out there, to get out of my shell,” he shared.
The more Tupas started showing the world who he really was, the more his talents began to shine. His work is bright, bold, and playful. It’s provocative, but in a way that makes you smile. It’s fashion photography that isn’t just about the clothes, but also about deconstructing societal and gender norms, exploring queer narratives, and “embracing anything weird” as he puts it.
“I call myself a queer artist, because it is not a label, but a position that I choose to occupy in order to keep challenging myself.”
Tupas recently completed a Master’s degree in Fashion Photography and has already been featured in several publications. Through his success, he hopes his work inspires people everywhere to be fearless, bold, and unapologetic about who they are.