Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Fine Arts Alum Baz Kanold (BA '21) is part of a group show at the Kitchener Public Library called Trans in KW, which features transgender and nonbinary artists from Kitchener-Waterloo. The exhibit will be on display at Central Library from February 14 to March 30, 2024.
One of the most difficult things that many transgender and gender diverse people face on a daily basis is the public perception of their bodies. How others perceive us, and therefore how they acknowledge and refer to us, can be a source of discomfort. This project is inspired by the idea of public perception of gender, and how a simple shift in how we perceive others can make a huge difference in how we understand and respect people around us. I invite you to see these subjects clearly while considering how our biases and concepts of gender keep us from fully understanding and respecting people’s identities. This step of putting on 3D glasses reflects how taking steps in an everyday interaction can completely change how you make another person feel. Something as simple as asking someone’s pronouns, or, at the very least, not assuming one’s gender, can go a long way for the people we interact with.This series was made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant 2022.
Photographed by Baz Kanold & Josh Tenn-Yuk, Beholden to the Beholder, 2022, digital photograph series, 78" x 42" each.