“beyond Naming”

Do our bodies deserve the labels that confine them?

This project explores how queer and trans individuals inhabit, transform, and reclaim their bodies not as vessels for classification, but as living expressions of being, seeing, and becoming. Each body has its unique rhythm, formed by both acceptance and rejection.

The work is built through direct encounters with strangers, friends, and self. I often reach out to individuals through social media and extended networks, inviting them into conversations about identity, language, and self-definition. Participants share personal reflections, written descriptions, and images, which become the foundation of the work. These exchanges are intimate and collaborative, grounded in listening and trust. Gathering stories isn't separate from the artwork; it's at its heart.

In addition to these interactions, I explored LGBTQ+ terminology and the histories behind several identity labels, considering how this language can create a sense of belonging while also posing limitations. Through both research and conversation, I became interested in the fatigue that comes from being repeatedly defined by others—and the quiet battle of choosing when, how, or whether to be seen.

"I'm drawn to the tender space between visibility and survival, where being seen is both a risk and a relief. Through photography and illustration, I examine this tension. The drawings are straightforward and layered, holding division, softness, and contradiction. The photographs function more quietly, as moments of pause or release, allowing bodies and objects to exist without explanation. But labels carry a quiet fatigue — the exhaustion of being repeatedly named by others, of choosing when, how, or whether to be seen. A term can be a home and a cage at once. What does it mean to belong in one's skin when belonging is never guaranteed?"