A multimedia exhibit charting the “enlightening” stories of seven Black Bermudian LGBTQ+ members has opened to commemorate Bermuda’s sixth annual Pride celebration.

Hidden Places, Sacred Spaces, now showing at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, consists of a video of photographs and audio statements that share the subjects’ individual experiences within and outside their communities.

Ishrat Yakub, a photojournalist and visual artist, created the audio and text while videographer Marq Rodriguez edited the video.

Ms Yakub said the show questioned where and how members of the LGBTQ+ community belong in society.

She said: “The experience of belonging and its counterpart, not belonging or being ‘othered’, has been an experience I explore in my work as it relates to my own upbringing, being raised by conservative Muslim Bangladeshi parents as an expat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“Like a branch in a tree growing and forging its own path, how do we survive and thrive when the soil that we have been planted in does not nourish us? Where do we find our light to shine?

“I believe that feelings of otherness are similar wherever they are experienced and resonate throughout society — that in sharing our experiences, we can better come to understand and accept each other, pushing us all forward.

“Identity, to me, is a beautiful, moving tapestry made of different experiences creating a unique individual, which is what I aim to explore in my work.

“On the island of Bermuda, made up of 21 square miles and 63,000 people, it becomes easy to stand out if you are different as compared to what has been normalised within society.

“With a majority population of Black/African descent, bristling against a colonial enslavement history, being Black and LGBTQ+ is often an entanglement of complicated proportions.”

Ms Yakub chose a variety of Bermudian subjects, the majority of whom live on the island. In some cases their partners are featured.

Among those featured are Linda Bogle-Mienzer, a gay woman and LGBTQ+ advocate, Mark Anderson, an entertainer who is known as the Queen of Bermuda, and Marcus Smith, a dancer, model, actor and creative director.

On interviewing her subjects, Ms Yakub sought a thread that connected all of their stories.

She added: “Safe spaces, their lack of, but also the special spaces they found, was a constant in all their stories. On an island surrounded by nature and incredible beauty, safe spaces can be special spots on the island, hidden places away from discrimination.

“They can also be safe spaces that have been created, within communities, or even a person who has become their safe space.

“This safe space then becomes sacred. What is a safe space for an individual who is both Black and LGBTQ+, who experiences a greater degree of discrimination and is an individual with a complex, multi-layered tapestry of identities?

“The stories shared through the work document the individuals’ lives, struggles and what they have overcome to thrive.

“A thread that organically is woven throughout all their narratives is the influence of religion and subsequently finding one’s own sense of spirituality.”

She said she hoped that the experiences shared by her subjects would help members of the community to better understand one another.

She said: “I want to thank the very brave souls that gifted me with their stories and allowed me to share their stories with you. Their courage is an inspiration.

“I hope that their voices are heard, understood and amplified. I hope that the work encourages people to see from another person’s perspective.”

Hidden Places, Sacred Spaces runs until September 6 and is on view in the Screening Room in the Butterfield Gallery at Masterworks.

The narratives in the work are also being presented in an accompanying print book.