Ruptured is the flesh

This piece (entitled “Ruptured is the flesh”) draws visual parallels between the transmasculine body and volcanoes. Through the use of the volcano as a motif, a dialogue is created across central themes of alienation, invisibility, dormancy, and ultimately: the sense of a mounting pressure and inevitability. The scars of life-saving surgery paralleled with the fissure lines of tectonic plates transform the landscape of the body. 

The occasional necessity for evacuation from active volcano sites intersects and influences the narrative of the occasional necessity for estrangement when coming out/living authentically as trans in Western society. By queering the imagery of natural disasters, the work naturalizes the trans experience while also conveying a crucial sense of urgency around survival. The hairpin duality of self-preservation and self-destruction, as embodied by volcanic activity, are instrumental to this work’s purpose.