Specimen

Gelsy Verna Gallery

April 24-September 24, 2024

Specimen, 2024, cotton fabric cut and beaten, poured, crumpled and ironed, sewn using hand-drafted pattern.

Specimen and Solstice Party explore the same feeling through different angles. One is serious, the other is comedic. Both viewpoints are important in understanding the experience. 

This piece reflects on connections between the transgender and cisgender female experiences. It stems from a feeling of being an alien or specimen that occurred during a top surgery consultation. Having my body and breasts under intense observation relates to women having mammograms. Additionally, it explores the weight and pressure of breasts, and the intense scrutiny one experiences with having sexualized tissues that exist outside of the body. The sacks are left abstract, so they might also be seen as other body parts and open to other bodily relationships.

While the sculptures are abstracting breasts, they are created out of trans paper: paper I made from recycled fabric. Through a violent remaking process, the fabric transitions from fabric to paper. The random reorganization of fibers into paper mirrors the random reorganization of cells to stitch up top surgery scars. Through this process, the piece is queer. 

Photos by Mariah Moneda