Armed with new vernacular to talk about non-normative ways of being – queer, non-binary and transgender folks are becoming more visible and vocal about our experiences. To do so is an act of vulnerability, and Fiona Zeiss Smith is inspired and driven to capture our experiences in her work. Queer is deeply personal and public. Fiona Zeiss Smith explores these topics in her work and represents the power they hold. Smith muses fuel so much of their passion. Intimacy and power in the context of connection drive them to create.
“I travelled to Bogotá to work with Alejandra, Dave, and Mabel. These collaborations were part of my ongoing personal exploration of vulnerability, gender, sexuality, and body image. In these collaborations, we each allowed ourselves to become completely immersed, spontaneous and honest, and to be influenced and changed in the process. Together we created and captured emboldened, wordless moments – characterised by a kind of open-ended intimacy suspended uniquely in time. There’s an emotional palette that comes with intimacy, and vulnerability is a big part of that. It is an opening up to what is, and what is possible. It is a reclaiming of emotionality as strength in a world that sees emotions and tenderness as a weakness.”
Non-Binary
“Non-Binary” is a collaboration between three artists exploring our experiences as non-binary people, reclaiming the experience of being “other,” and the intimacy that is created when we see each other as we are. To do so was a powerful act of vulnerability. We came together in Bogotá, Colombia, and connected and created seamlessly as we explored shared spaces beyond the gender binary. With “Non-Binary”, we tapped into a feeling of collective power and possibility as we explored performance-based forms of non-gendered expression, intersectional identities, and intimacy unconfined by the gender binary.
The photographer is Fiona Zeiss Smith
Instagram:
Models are
Bella Castiblanco: @bellacastiblanco
Alejandra Pulido: @nxgndxr
Wardrobe by
Instagram: @nnancyboy & @disturbia
A Way of Being
Instagram: @mabelru_
