Drawing from existing mythology, as well as personal experience, this work delves into the
intricate interplay between queer individuals and the broader cultural narrative around gender,
sex, and sexuality. At its core, this work confronts the prevailing ideals of femininity that often
relegate trans women and femmes to positions of objectification and fetishization.
My work examines the concept of the fetish through subject and materiality. By weaving
together elements borrowed from Baroque and Pop art, I intentionally disrupt historical norms.
The overarching Camp aesthetics serve as a vehicle for subverting established references, while
simultaneously imbuing them with a queer sensibility. By recontextualizing classical
representations of the figure, I put myself into the work to examine how identity is the Subject
but is conflated with the ideas of Objecthood.
References to pornography and sex work play a pivotal role in this body of work. For many trans
women, sex work becomes a pragmatic choice due to the constraints imposed by dominant
gender norms and capitalist structures. Paradoxically, society often blames trans individuals for
their own sexualization, conveniently overlooking the systemic reinforcement of these ideals
through regulatory practices, consumerism, and media portrayal of gender performance.
Dominant culture wields significant influence over trans and femme bodies. On one hand, it
perpetuates the unattainable “Barbie ideal,” while simultaneously sexualizing pre-op trans
women based on their anatomy. This reduction of trans women to mere fetish objects
underscores the complex power dynamics at play.
Through this work, I’ve found solace and healing. It has allowed me to process my own
transition, confront emotional scars, and grapple with past sexual traumas. At the same time, my
narrative becomes a thread woven into the broader fabric of gender and sexuality.
intricate interplay between queer individuals and the broader cultural narrative around gender,
sex, and sexuality. At its core, this work confronts the prevailing ideals of femininity that often
relegate trans women and femmes to positions of objectification and fetishization.
My work examines the concept of the fetish through subject and materiality. By weaving
together elements borrowed from Baroque and Pop art, I intentionally disrupt historical norms.
The overarching Camp aesthetics serve as a vehicle for subverting established references, while
simultaneously imbuing them with a queer sensibility. By recontextualizing classical
representations of the figure, I put myself into the work to examine how identity is the Subject
but is conflated with the ideas of Objecthood.
References to pornography and sex work play a pivotal role in this body of work. For many trans
women, sex work becomes a pragmatic choice due to the constraints imposed by dominant
gender norms and capitalist structures. Paradoxically, society often blames trans individuals for
their own sexualization, conveniently overlooking the systemic reinforcement of these ideals
through regulatory practices, consumerism, and media portrayal of gender performance.
Dominant culture wields significant influence over trans and femme bodies. On one hand, it
perpetuates the unattainable “Barbie ideal,” while simultaneously sexualizing pre-op trans
women based on their anatomy. This reduction of trans women to mere fetish objects
underscores the complex power dynamics at play.
Through this work, I’ve found solace and healing. It has allowed me to process my own
transition, confront emotional scars, and grapple with past sexual traumas. At the same time, my
narrative becomes a thread woven into the broader fabric of gender and sexuality.
