Contemplation/Reflection/Transition

Artist Statement: Robin Ryder

Contemplation/Reflection/Transition

The quilts and paintings in this show represent both my identity as an artist and as a transman.  Growing up I often contemplated how it would feel to be truly seen for who I am and have it reflected back in people’s response to me.  Prior to my transition at age 45 I often felt that interactions with other people, or even my own reflection in the mirror, was a fraught experience— like a permanent case of mistaken identity.  All that changed when I physically transitioned.  I felt an immediate congruity between who I knew myself to be and my reflection in the mirror.  Likewise, when I interacted with others I felt seen.  I no longer felt like I was talking to people who had somehow mistaken me for someone else.  That wonderful feeling lasted for 21 years.  This past January I began contemplating the role of the court jester as the only individual in the king's court who was able to speak truth to power and I became fixated on painting them. I soon realized that I was actually painting a series of self portraits, but not in the traditional sense of a physical likeness.  These were images of my emotional reaction to current events.  You see, by living our lives with authenticity, transpeople speak truth to power every day in the face of an administration that seeks to erase us.