United Nations Population Fund Transforms Closets that Enclose Prejudices into Murals of Pride

Deconstructed Closets is a free art exhibition developed by Havas’ creative agency HOY and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency that works for sexual and reproductive rights and an end to gender-based violence. The exhibition pays tribute to four great Argentine LGBTIQ+ activists with a series of four large-scale artworks created by local muralist Leandro Frizzera using the inlay technique (wood collage) to create portraits made from real closet parts.

Each artwork features Carlos Jáuregui, the first president of the Argentine’s gay community; Ilse Fuskova, lesbian-feminist; Lohana Berkins, transvestite activist, and Mocha Celis, transvestite activist.

The art process sought to dismantle closets that usually symbolise prison, oppression, and repression to create something new, so that the element that once enclosed prejudice now expresses freedom. The artwork also used non-wood parts such as knobs, hinges, metal ornaments and mirrors that have this type of cabinets in the Rococo or Provençal style from the 30s and 40s.

The itinerant art exhibition was presented at the main malls in Argentina and was visited by nearly three million people. Visitors not only looked at the murals, but also interacted with QR codes, which allowed them to access the official website of the exhibition, where they could read the biographies of the four portrayed activists as well as watch a video reflecting the process of realisation, in which current LGBTIQ+ activists share how they came out of the closet.

Mariana Isasi, head of UNFPA Argentina’s office, said, "People have the right to live their sexual identity and orientation without discrimination or violence. Today we especially celebrate the leaders who have taken a path to guarantee the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people in Argentina."

Deconstructed Closets was declared of cultural interest by the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires.