I will be chairing a panel on Tran Visual Culture at the 110th annual College Art Association conference in February of 2022. My panel will be virtual.
Since Time magazine's now iconic 2014 cover story featuring trans actress Laverne Cox proclaimed our current moment "The Transgender Tipping Point," there has been much debate about the recent proliferation of trans representations in mainstream media and contemporary art. Artists, scholars, and activists alike have argued that this is not only a misconception that inaccurately erases the long lineage of trans visual culture and conflates mainstream depictions of a handful of trans icons with an idea of social progress. But, perhaps more significant, the seeming "embrace" of trans culture by mainstream media may have adverse effects and is likely at best what contemporary trans artist Juliana Huxtable has called a "neoliberal spotlight." Huxtable's poignant observation highlights the theatricality and fleetingness of the moment and reflects one of the many points of departure that this panel may take in our explorations of trans visual culture today. Deploying a rigorous, interdisciplinary approach to trans visual culture in the contemporary moment, this panel will explore the stakes of what is transpiring with trans visual culture now. Visual culture examples, texts, and artists to keep in mind when submitting paper proposals include but are not limited to the exhibition Kiss My Genders at the Hayward Gallery in London (2019); the August 2020 issue of the Journal of Visual Studies dedicated to transgender art and visual culture; Chris Vargas’ Museum of Transgender Hirstory and Art (MOTHA) 2013-ongoing; Jian Neo Chen's Trans Exploits: Trans of Color Cultures and Technologies in Movement (2019) and beyond.
More information about the conference and how to register can be found here.
