Figure, Form
Roxana Rios
Figure, Form is a self-determined counterpart to both artistic as well as social political discourses and understandings of "canon" and sees itself as an ongoing collection of queer/trans excellence and intelligence. Besides a practice of critical rejection, visibility and a formation of community are among the most important goals of the work. Figure, Form treats physicality as a sovereign medium dedicated to self-realization. No distribution for the development of social gender is ascribed to the body per se, gender identity is understood as a performative practice. Thus Figure, Form tests bodily (re)conquests, inscriptions into, and queering of prevailing narratives as a point of reference for future comprehension. The project aims to understand the body as a fluid material and works for un-doings / subversion of hegemonic gazes and a reclaiming of self, body and visibility.
echo
echo examines relations between self-expression, attribution, and socio-cultural codes within self-portarits. Within a studio set of three synchronized cameras, distinct lines between operator, referent, and spectator dissolve. Roland Barthes' four imaginary dimensions1 interlink as a reflection of the cis-heterosexual matrix and gendered
markers. As a trans body, I am continually navigating internalized as well as projected politics of the gaze. echo examines the role of photography in (de-)constructing
traditional identity categories to develop pluralistic views of individual and collective identity.
Since its invention in the 19th century, photography has played a significant role not only as a technical medium but also as a cultural tool in the construction and representation of identity. It serves not only to document individual existences but has historically also contributed to the consolidation of social hierarchies and power structures. In particular, portrait photography established tools for exclusionary practices and actively contributed to the construction of normative social frameworks. echo is works as a critical analysis of these cultural constructions and dynamics between self- and outside perception. Barthes describes the photographic portrait as a „closed field of forces“, in which four elements operate: the self-/desired image, the external image, and the craft. This interplay makes the portrait a complex and dynamic object, reflecting both the subject's identity as well as the perceptions of the photographer and viewers. echo shifts and expands this closed field of forces, examining the images as cultural signs2.
1 „In front of the lens, I am simultaneously the person I believe myself to be, the person I wish to be seen as, the person the photographer sees me as, and the person through whom the photographer demonstrates their skill." 4 Roland Barthes, 1989, Suhrkamp Verlag, p. 22
2 Symbolism and iconography are crucial in portrait photography. Visual codes deeply rooted in socio-cultural contexts influence interpretation and attribution 4 and thus perception and representation of identity. These codes are not static; a portrait can convey a range of meanings that vary depending on context and perspective. The core questions of my exploration are how self-images (Images or notions that individuals and societies create about themselves, often shaped by media and cultural
representations), shaping techniques (refers to the technological and media means through which identity is constructed and conveyed), and identity practices (concrete actions and behaviors through which identity is created and negotiated, both individually and societally) interrelate, with a focus on trans bodies.