Transgender artists to follow, on this day

May 29, On This Day

The art of representation

It was a mere two years ago, on May 29, 2019, that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that ‘transgender’ no longer classified as a mental health illness.

Over the years, a number of transgender artists have been redefining the landscape of contemporary art, working in painting, photography, video, sculpture, classical music and the spoken word, revealing the multifaceted reality of the trans experience.

Heather Cassils, ‘Becoming an Image’ Performance Still No. 1, Edgy Women Festival, Montreal 2013

Take for instance Heather Cassils, who “uses the physical body as sculptural mass to rupture societal norms”, or 9 other groundbreaking creatives, outlined by HuffPost.

Juliana Huxtable, Untitled (2014). Courtesy of the New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York, NY.

There\’s also Juliana Huxtable, a New York-based visual artist who is also a DJ, poet, and model, and several others like her as listed by Artnet Newspaper.

Greer Lankton

Another prominent name is Greer Lankton, the American artist known for creating lifelike dolls based on friends. She joins a compilation of names to follow in art by Widewalls.