As an individual who was assigned female at birth and identifies as a non-binary gender (neither male nor female), I find myself vigilantly observing how people in my day to day life perceive and project gender identity on themselves and those around them. These socially constructed ideas of gender presentation and expression are ingrained in us from birth. In the case of children, projected identity is placed on a being that has little to no agency, and is vulnerable to the control of the adults around them. This is manifested in the toys, clothes, play, and socially learned mannerisms of children. My work examines the socialized external manifestations of gender presentation and begs the question; what lies within?

      As with the social expectations of gendered identity placed on children, people often project anthropomorphized identities onto animals; beings with little agency in the face of human imposition. Some animals are seen as more feminine, some as more masculine. Some are seen as inherently good, others as evil and malicious. Ultimately these creatures are complex entities that are both all and none of these things. Placing such simplified identifiers upon them can be detrimental in the face of human ignorance, intolerance, and fear.

      I make figurative ceramic sculptures exploring the nuances of identity, specifically related to gender, by pairing the heads of animals with human bodies. This pairing problematizes the representation of both animal and human, subverting the stereotypes for both. In my most recent body of work, I pair the heads of animals that are commonly maligned with the bodies of feminized children. By placing the heads of feared animals on children that are read as a specific binary gender, I suggest a hidden identity beneath the outer layer of socialized content. With this body of work I disrupt and question the stereotypes of gender and identity as we see and take them for granted in western society.