This diptych is a collection of two portraits of the same individual. One illustrating the individual’s current presentation, and the other illustrating the individual’s desired presentation. This ideal presentation is dressed in attire influenced by video games such as the Mass Effect series and Overwatch, and is surrounded with character customization-esque user interface to highlight that this ideal presentation would only be accepted in a fantasy world.

These portraits were made while looking at the somber yet powerful air of John Singer Sargent’s portrait work as well as the conceptual ideology of occupying spaces of lacking representation in Kehinde Wiley’s portrait work. The experience of self-exploration/realization of gender identity through character customization is common among members of the gaming community yet gender queer individuals are seldom represented positively if at all. Much like how Wiley takes black figures and places them in positions referencing white portraiture, I am taking queer and/or gender nonconforming figures and placing them in positions commonly occupied by straight, cis-gender* characters.

*cis-gender: denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.

Why a Diptych?

The human brain works in threes (beginning, middle, and end so to speak). When there are only two images presented together, the brain is more likely to work on its own to figure out the connection between them. My goal with this is to create a dialogue within the viewer to lead them towards figuring out how these figures are connected, why one presents masculine or feminine and what the emotions/embellishments show about that.