Selfie
Eagle-eyed readers may recall trans artist/activist Anastasio Wrobel from a piece last December on The Non-Binary Coloring Book, a DIY artpiece that goes far beyond adult catharsis to make a stunning statement on gender politics. This Friday, Wrobel hosts an art party/talk on these themes and other gender issues at Santa Fe University of Art and Design's Fogelson Library (6 pm. Free. 1600 St. Michael's Drive, 473-6011). Wrobel is also hard at work building a new art studio that they hope to open soon as a means to showcase their own works and continue their efforts at dismantling the binary. Yup. They're a badass.
What has the reception to the book been like?
I have received a lot of positive feedback. I've been compared to both Andy Warhol and Basquiat because of the abstract construction of the images. My favorite compliment thus far was this book being a 'vibrant celebration of the trans community.'
Was the studio something that came out of doing the book, or has it been your plan for some time?
Since I first realized that the ongoing necessity for trans-created media, those thoughts have extended into the necessity for trans-affirming public spaces and events. I'll admit I spend a lot of time thinking about queer futurity and utopia, [and] part of that fantasy includes public spaces that are not rooted in binary gender ideologies.
What do you hope to succeed with the event?
The reason I've chosen to do this is because all of the work I do feeds into generating and connecting gender and expression and art together. Sometimes I call this a component of my 'artsexuality.' In having the talk, I really hope to encounter both people who do and don't think about gender and those who live the embodiment of being dimly immersed in gender. I will never stop trying to deconstruct the gender binary.
