Through…
2018
While much progress has been made for lesbian and gay members of the LGBT community there is still more work to be done for those of us who exist outside of the gender binary. With the appointment of Trump, bigoted opinions about gender identity continue to flourish, combating the idea that transgender people have a right to safely exist. In such a political climate, transitioning becomes even more rife with mental and emotional struggles.
Through this series of woodcuts, I reexamine ink wash figurative self-portraits in a new framework. I explore how this medium can further my personal investigation into processing these experiences with art. As I carve each image into the block of wood, I also work to carve out my identity as a transgender person in the face of this regime of intolerance and offer a glimpse into what it feels like to transition in this society. Though each woodcut is a self-portrait the focus is not on the face of the figure but instead on the body. Illustrating the struggle is how I try to understand and take ownership of how my body exists, both within my personal identity and within society as a whole.
Throughout my transition, I am fortunate to be able to use art as a method to process all mental and emotional baggage that comes with transitioning. Through revealing my own journey, I hope to shed light on the intense internal battle that so many transgender people are fighting every day.
