GI’s Anatomy: Drawing Sex,
Drawing Gender, Drawing Bodies
Anna McNay and Jay Stewart
Anna McNay is a freelance art writer and editor, based in London.
She is Arts Editor for DIVA magazine and Deputy Editor for State Media. Anna has reviewed many LGBT exhibitions,
including those in which this review’s case studies have participated and has
authored the review elements in this piece.
Jay Stewart is co-founder of Gendered Intelligence. He holds a PhD
in Visual Cultures from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Jay convened the GI Anatomy project and is
author of the factual project information.
GI’s Anatomy: Introduction
In spring 2013, thirty transgender
and intersex people participated in a series of practical life drawing
workshops in London programmed by arts based organisation, Gendered
Intelligence, in collaboration with life drawing tutors from London Drawing.[i] What
made these art classes distinct was the fact that the models posing also
identified as transgender and/or as having an intersex condition. The models
had a range of body types, some of which were visibly identifiable as
transgender or intersex, some not. The project aimed to engage the participants
with complex ideas around sexed and gendered bodies that pertained to their own
life experience. Throughout the project, the participants interrogated the ways
in which scientific discourses and practices have come to shape our
understanding of non-normatively sexed and gendered bodies.
To read this article in full, please see: http://tsq.dukejournals.org/content/2/2/330.abstract
[i] See
genderedintelligence.co.uk and http://www.londondrawing.com/.
This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of their arts award.