Trans artists in the art world
May 30, 2019 9:44 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for examples of major visual artists that are also trans -- what major art museums have done exhibitions of visual artists (painters, filmmakers, etc.) that are nonbinary or openly trans?

I'm trying to understand how the formal/stuffy/capital A art world has handled artists that have transitioned, particularly those who have been recognized above all else for their accomplishments by the art establishment rather than "othered" or centered the story around their gender identity.

I know there are trans specific Museums and exhibitions around LGBTQ artists, and other forms of art (music, acting, directing, modeling) have had visible transitions, but has there been a major art world gender transition, particularly a museum that's done an exhibition on an artist that important that just happens to be trans vs. "Hey, this is the perspective of a trans artist"?

Because of the broad definition of artist and the big difference (just or otherwise) of a small gallery or Museum vs. The Met, The Broad, MOMA, etc., my Google-fu is absolutely failing me here.
posted by anonymous to Media & Arts (7 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but Anohni has had her work displayed in galleries, though she's probably more widely known for her career in music.

https://www.sikkemajenkinsco.com/anohni

https://www.cornerhousepublications.org/publications/anohni/

Edit: from what I remember reading, she has been semi-open about identifying as a woman for a long time but only recently took on a female-presenting public identity. Sorry, im on mobile or I would include more info.
posted by Oliva Porphyria at 11:22 AM on May 30, 2019


I'm not sure if this is quite what you're looking for and I don't know enough to know how prominent they are in the global fine art world, Cassils often appears in big, mainstream museums and screenings. At lot, though not all, of the work is gender-related, but many of the forums aren't.
posted by eotvos at 11:58 AM on May 30, 2019


Came here to recommend Kent Monkman.

The artist himself is a gay man but his work has strong trans themes and subverts the colonial gaze on indigenous and two-spirit people in Canada. He has a trans character called Miss Chief Eagle Testickle who appears in many of his paintings. The paintings themselves are absolutely breathtaking.
posted by winterportage at 12:18 PM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]


Harry Dodge
posted by neroli at 12:56 PM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]


Grayson Perry might fit the bill. Like Monkman he explores gender with an alter ego.
posted by teststrip at 1:41 PM on May 30, 2019


While not a whole exhibit, Porpentine's had pieces in large exhibits, like the Whitney biennial.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:55 PM on May 30, 2019




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