Recently, the LGBTI+ community, and transgender artists in particular, have been gradually becoming more and more widely known. Previously, they were excluded by society and, accordingly, the world of art.
Contemporary art is a great way to draw attention to the LGBT community as their culture is rich and expansive. We discover five transgender artists who violate the conventions of LGBTQIA+ art. Through their artistic expression, we learn more about their trials, tribulations, and their perception of society.
All these LGBT artists, above all, stand up for their rights and a fair representation of their community, as well as issues related to gender fluidity. These strong personalities have already left their mark on the art world and will continue to do so, gradually making our consciousness more liberal.
Zackary Drucker & Rhys Ernst
These two transgender artists have documented their former romantic relationship through the series of photographs titled “Relationship”, exhibited at the Whitney Biennial.
Zachary Drucker’s work mainly focuses on media such as photography, video, performance and installation. She is interested in the body and its representation through the prism of gender and sexuality. Rhys Ernst mainly makes films and videos about transgender identity. According to him, modern society is in a state of transition. He believes that the process of transition from patriarchy to gender equality is necessary.
Wu Tsang
Wu Tsang moves between New York, Berlin and Los Angeles. She is a transgender performance artist and film maker. Her films and videos have been exhibited in prestigious venues:
- Tate Modern in London;
- Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam;
- MoCA in Los Angeles.
The work of this artist is mainly inspired by activism, communities and party art.
Amos Mac
The photographer Amos Mac captures portraits of gender non conforming people. He represents the entirety of his subject; their personality, their being, rather than just their gender identity. Amos Mac is inspired by teen magazines, show business aesthetics of the 1990s and 2000s and vintage pictorial representations.
His work conveys an exuberant atmosphere, full of colors, humorous and occasionally voluntarily cheesy. His colorful shots bring a breath of fresh air to portrait photography. His work has already been published in the New York Times and Vogue Italia.
Yishay Garbasz
Yishay Garbasz is an Israeli-British transgender artist. She expresses herself through photography, performance and installation. The artist explores the notions of trauma and post-traumatic memories. The Israeli-born artist has also lived in many countries, which has provided her with multiple inspirations. For example, she spent some time in Japan in 2014 creating a work called “Ritual and Reality” in the area of the Fukushima nuclear explosion that occurred a year earlier.
Cassils
This transgender artist uses their own body as material for their almost sculptural performances. His artistic expression represents the history of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. The artist has explored many art forms and mediums, such as live performance, sculpture, photography, sound,and film.
