Trans Hirstory in 99 Objects - by David Evans Frantz & Christina Linden & Chris E Vargas (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A compelling exploration of trans art, activism, and resistance.

Spanning over four centuries, this volume brings together a wide-ranging selection of artworks and artifacts that highlight the under-recognized histories of trans and gender-nonconforming communities. Through the contributions of artists, writers, poets, activists, and scholars, this title reflects on historical erasure and imagines trans futures.

An expansive array of objects chart not a patriarchal history but a gender-neutral, trans-centric hirstory. The first publication of its kind, this survey celebrates trans forebearers, highlights struggles and triumphs, and reflects on the legacies of trans creative expression. Contributions by Kate Bornstein, Ria Brodell, Vaginal Davis, Leah DeVun, Mo B. Dick, Zackary Drucker, David Getsy, Martine Gutierrez, Andrea Jenkins, Jade Guarano Kuriki-Olivo (Puppies Puppies), Thomas (T.) Jean Lax, Abram J. Lewis, Miguel A. López, Amos Mac, Cyle Metzger, Deborah A. Miranda, Morgan M Page, SA Smythe, C. Riley Snorton, Dean Spade, Sandy Stone, Jeannine Tang, Michelle Tea, McKenzie Wark, and many others probe new horizons where institutional critique and trans culture meet. This book is copublished by the Museum of Trans Hirstory & Art (MOTHA), a conceptual art project of artist Chris E. Vargas that is forever "under construction" by design to allow continual transformation.

Review Quotes

"It's hard to overstate the importance of a book and exhibition series like Trans Hirstory in a time of historic attacks against trans and LGBTQ+ rights both in the United States and around the world. . . . And like any good object history, Trans Hirstory challenges the very idea of history as a mode of study that has a singular and comprehensive perspective or that can even have a fixed period of time as its reference point. We see objects from the 21st century and the 1st, a reminder that trans people have always existed."-- "Hyperallergic"

"This star-studded collection of essays is quite simply the best work of transgender art history in the history of art history to date."
-- "Susan Stryker, Dornsife Dean's Professor in Residence of Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Southern California"

About the Author

David Evans Frantz is a curator based in Los Angeles. Christina Linden is an arts educator and curator based in San Francisco. Chris E. Vargas is the founder of MOTHA and an interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles and Bellingham, WA.