Liberadxs
Work in Progress
Self-definition can be an act of radical vulnerability.
This project is a work-in-progress, a collaboration between Arséne and I, shaped by our shared love of photography, commitment to visibility and the evolving language of gesture.
Our friendship began in 2021 when I was teaching a creative photography course in Guadlajara, Mexico and when.Arséne, who identifies as a trans woman, was beginning to live and express herself as such openly. She invited me to photograph her journey. Joining the ballroom scene, where gesture is a language of its own, Arséne learned to dance, vogue, and express herself in a way she felt she really needed.
Over the last four years, my collaboration with Arséne has grown organically, expanding to include members of her community. Gesture is the connection point for our creative exchange. It is where our conversations begin. Movement is vital to Arsene and her ballroom community – a way to express and celebrate identity, and also to resist marginalisation and violence. Through their interviews and movements framed by and for the medium of photography, this project invites Arséne’s community into a platform of expression, a safe place to be seen and heard.
