Pride Month may be over, but its purpose and mission never stop. A testament to that are the artworks of the late Filipino modern and contemporary abstract painter Justin Nuyda. To wrap up June, the Nuyda Estate released open edition archival prints of the artist’s “Pride.”

“My father has always been an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community.” Search Mindscape founder and project director, Ayni Nuyda, said. “He embraced individuality and helmed spaces and concepts like the Hobbit House that made everyone feel safe and welcome.”

“Pride” aims to inspire viewers to reflect on concepts of identity, spirit, survival, and connectedness. It also served as Justin’s return to his studio at the time, after falling ill in 2019.

“After my father’s surgery, he focused mostly on smaller pieces. But from April to February 2020, he started working with a larger canvas again,”Ayni recalled. “He had always preferred larger scale pieces throughout his career. It allowed him to move more freely. By June, ‘Pride’ was completed.”

The artwork features spherical images, many of which were drawn from vinyl records, pencil shavings, and shells. According to Ayni, her father was largely inspired by CDs for the piece, saying, “The circular shapes reveal my dad’s sensitivity to transformations, refracting light and presence without spectacle.”

As a lepidopterist, Justin was also fascinated by butterflies, a species that carry both male and female traits. “To him, they embodied something rare, wondrous, and worthy of being regarded with reverence. That same quiet strength pulses beneath ‘Pride,’” Ayni reflects.

The introduction of “Pride” as a series of prints endeavors to amplify a powerful statement and a compelling conversation that begs the questions: “How do you celebrate your most authentic self? Outside of Pride Month, how do we actively support the LGBTQA+ community?”

“The artwork itself will continue to stay with our family. But we wanted to share this piece with everyone and make ‘Pride’ accessible to many. This is why we decided to finally release open edition archival prints of the artwork,” said Ayni. At the same time, it was important for the Nuyda Estate and the Search Mindscape Foundation that the initiative serve a higher purpose.

Justin’s “Pride” was selected as the cover of a legal guidebook for the LGBTQIA+ community entitled, “Justice with Pride: LGBTQIA+ Community Legal Guidebook in the Philippines,” which was launched last June.

An initiative led by Zamboanga City-based NGO, Mujer LGBT+, the book aims to empower the community with useful tools that shed light on basic legal rights and protections of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the Philippines.

“Many LGBTQIA+ people, especially in our communities, experience discrimination but don’t know what to do or who to ask,” said Toni Gee Fernandez of Mujer LGBT+. “Legal information often feels too technical or out of reach. So we created this guidebook to make legal knowledge accessible and to help LGBTQIA+ individuals feel more confident in asserting their rights.”

Ayni was first introduced to the project through award winning documentary filmmaker, Rhadem Musawah, who is also an Indigenous Moro Human Rights Defender. Ayni elaborated, “We presented the UK Ambassador to the Philippines, HE Laure Beaufils, with a print of my father’s artworks. Rhadem asked if they could feature ‘Pride’ on the cover.”

The partnership extended to a sustained model for supporting Mujer LGBT+’s cause. Prints of ‘“Pride “ will be accompanied by a copy of Pride with Justice. “We are committed to distributing a copy for every order of a ‘Pride’ archival print. More than that, we also want to continue exploring how we can truly support the community by tapping legal guidance, policy, and diplomacy.”

“Pride” open edition archival prints are available at www.justinnuyda.com.