Transgender discussions through art
Transgender art, whether intended or not, is as much about awareness as it is artistic expression. As an included but unique group of the LGBT community, raising awareness of transgender stories and conflicts is a means of raising acceptance of this unique group. One such project is called "Visible Bodies: Transgender Narratives Retold", a photography exhibit that tells attempts to show more than just the medical side of the transgender story- it focuses on the personal narrative and goals of the transgender individual. By focusing on the importance of gender identity to individuals, the exhibit avoids forcing people into one sweeping stereotype, and gives each person a voice.
The internet is rife with videos or photographs of individuals' progression through hormone therapy or gender change- but is this art? I’d argue that seeing this transformation- one that (presumably) progresses towards a happier and truer version of the individual- is powerful and moving for those privileged enough to see it, and evokes a level of importance and expression that defines it as art.
One such instance of “transformation art” is the following example in which a transgendered female sings a duet of the Jordin Sparks song “Battlefield" with her pre-transition self. She said of the project, "Despite some minor advances, society still sees us as only one of two things: sex objects or punch lines. Through my music, I hope to change that.” The reason that art can touch so many lives and hold such an important place in the world is in large part due to the messages it conveys- this artist does not disappoint in this aspect.
One such instance of “transformation art” is the following example in which a transgendered female sings a duet of the Jordin Sparks song “Battlefield" with her pre-transition self. She said of the project, "Despite some minor advances, society still sees us as only one of two things: sex objects or punch lines. Through my music, I hope to change that.” The reason that art can touch so many lives and hold such an important place in the world is in large part due to the messages it conveys- this artist does not disappoint in this aspect.
Even here at Michigan State University, transgender issues have been discussed through art in the form of a museum exhibit in the spring of 2013 called “The Transgender Community of Istanbul”. There are few if any places in the world that are accepting of the transgender community, and this is definitely true in Istanbul, Turkey. Transgendered or transitioning people in Istanbul deal with and come to expect everything from family ostracization to harassment and discrimination from a society that accepts only binary genders marked on a work license. Mary Roberts, a photographer from London, documented the private lives of these individuals- she gave them the power to choose how they appeared and were represented in these portraits, when they lived in a society that saw them as spectacles at best.
For more information on the resources used in this article, visit the following links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/visible-bodies-transgender_n_3757714.html#slide=2795438
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/17/kayhar-transgender-duet_n_4275344.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/visible-bodies-transgender_n_3757714.html#slide=2795438
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/17/kayhar-transgender-duet_n_4275344.html