Lamination Machine
Stretched Thin is a body of work exploring the complexities
of gender transition and navigating the world as a Queer and
Transgender person. This body of work is composed of latex skins
stretched in various ways, referring to the constraining boundaries
that Trans people must conform to fit in society. Each skin has a
different additive, paying homage to the various forms of coping
I used when transition was unattainable. I create each sheet with
numerous fragile layers of latex, pigment, and clippings of my hair
in a meditative and time-consuming process that relates to the
passage of time during my transition.
In my artwork, I aim to challenge the limiting notions of a cisgender-
heteronormative society. Consequently, I intrinsically weave the
Queer experience into my practice. It is essential that my Queerness
remains central to the work as a form of liberation and to question
what society considers acceptable in art and institutional settings.
Using found objects covered in years of rust and grime, coupled
with sheets of latex skin, I strive for the viewer to feel the anguish
and beauty of being a Queer and Transgender man. As I give new
life to recycled materials as pieces of art, I also reflect on the new
life I have created for myself through gender transition and the
acceptance and embracing of my Queer identity. I am profoundly
inspired by the artists of the AIDS crisis, as these Queer artists gave
their community a voice through their work, which opened my eyes
to a future of liberation I strive to be a part of.