Coming clean! Airing the dirty laundry

2023

installation of mixed media and found objects

153 x 200 cm

Coming clean! Airing the dirty laundry is hung to mimic a common clothesline in order to challenge traditional narratives of domesticity. The work speaks to a profound side of these traditions, gender roles, and advertising, and how these elements have created life-long trauma, a sense of entrapment, and loss of identity.

The installation is somewhat like a time capsule or a visual timeline representing my life to date. A life lived as a closeted or undiscovered trans man between the late 1970s to the present day. It is raw, shocking in parts and even controversial, challenging social norms without a filter. This artwork is heavily symbolic. As an autistic individual, the symbolism speaks to how l use art as my native language: my authentic, natural form of communication. Relics or mementos from my life have been replicated, such as my kindergarten school case and my navy class two cap, or actual items implemented into the work.

The final piece is still a work in progress, just as my transition from my old identity as Mel to my true authentic self as Matt. It is a celebratory piece, embracing the true me with hope, peace and love.