Genesis; Cracking the Hollow Self

Genesis; Cracking the Hollow Self (2018), shattered mirror, acrylic paint, glue, fabric, sharpie, gold ink

This piece was created around the idea of gender dysphoria (the condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one’s biological sex) and body dysmorphia (obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance). The act of shattering a mirror decorated with poetry written about my experiences with gender expression, is an action of healing. Through this work I reclaim the idea of feeling negatively about not fitting binary and societal expectations. I prompt the viewer to reflect upon their own relationship with self image, and how this idea of self is focused heavily on appearance. “Genesis; Cracking the Hollow Self” was inspired from a visceral need to reject the feeling of dysphoria and invalidation which stems from presenting as feminine yet identifying as more masculine. This artwork was created as catharsis and to express an anger against beauty ideals drilled into those who are assigned women at birth. This work relies on the viewers own subjectivity around body image and would contextualize the meaning differently depending on who looks into the mirror. For example another gender queer person viewing the piece and relating to the shared experience would be different from someone who has never experienced body image issues. In the greater context of the contemporary art world this artwork is a representation of the queer and trans experience from one perspective. It is socially relevant as more and more trans artists are creating work around ideas of oppression, dysphoria and opposing the binary.