I Made this for the Trans Day Of Visibility event I ran recently, which was a creative exhibition of art and performances. I wanted to do a self portrait and was captivated by the idea that people are often curious about the scarring on my arm from my gender affirmation surgery, and I know people often want to touch it which can be crossing a boundary (that people always respect though) and wanted to offer people the opportunity to become more intimately familiar with the effects of transitioning without overstepping personal lines.
I wanted to use the nonbinary flag colours to represent that gender identity doesn’t determine physical expression – there was a way I needed to be and that makes me feel whole, and it doesn’t lock me into a gender binary. The background is purple ink, the arm and fist is water colour paper that I sewed down with a machine to echo the idea of stitches and surgery, and the keloid scaring is yellow candle wax that I painted on and then had to melt a little to give it a smooth surface. It isn’t a one-to-one comparison as my scarring pattern is pretty complex, and my skin and scars are much more supple, but it’s pretty close.
I measured the frame I made out of matchsticks carefully, but it still twisted somehow and it was difficult to get it to fit well. Nevermind, it’s not a deal breaker!
Ultimately, I have pride in my scars and don’t want to hide them away.
