I am an artist, community organizer, and LGBTQ+ activist based in Los Angeles. Raised in suburban Wisconsin, the concept of queer values intertwined with the American Dream and American family values is an image I consistently work with.
My practice involves photography, performance, sculpture, and video to express the dynamic, emotive states found within the queer chosen family. I create images and stage happenings that celebrate and investigate the becoming of my identity as a trans woman. This approach finds its lineage from my own experience with, and popular media’s depiction of, traditional family structures. Working to dismantle the prominence of cisgender, heterosexual families, my work creates space to contemplate, and rethink gender roles. My process includes, introspective exploration of my own feelings about myself and my body, sharing as a means to form bonds with and invite others into my world. This invitation is made tangible when I include others in my photographs. Using the camera as a tool to deepen our interpersonal connections and strengthen our inherent kinship with the natural world.
Most recently, my solo exhibition at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Everything I Could Ever Want, consisted of photographs, sculpture, performance, and video. Displaying 20 self-portraits made with my chosen queer family from California and the Midwest, I bridged a gap between trans communities from different parts of the country, and continued to reimagine and put forth a new configuration of the American family.
I am the founder and curator of That Way, an online platform and printed zine started in 2018, highlighting the work of LGBTQ+ artists from around the globe. In 2021, I was the sole-organizer and co-curator of Queering the Cream City, an exhibition taking place on 12 Milwaukee billboards replacing advertising with LGBTQ+ art for one month.
Any inquiries related to exhibiting my work or purchasing of prints can be directed to:
LarsenVaughan (at) gmail (dot) com