The Eyes Issue 11 'Transgalactique' Explores Transgender Photography

The French photography magazine The Eyes has released issue 11, titled 'Transgalactique,' which examines the role of photography in transgender representation and identity. The issue is a carte blanche given to artist-researcher SMITH and performer-curator Nadège Piton. It features portfolios, book reviews, and a look at Sébastien Lifshitz's collection of anonymous vintage photographs, covering over a century of transgender imagery. Philosopher Paul B. Preciado is interviewed, discussing how photography was historically used as a forensic tool to pathologize homosexuality, but can also serve as a technique for producing political subjectivities. The issue includes works by pioneers like Claude Cahun, Pierre Molinier, and Marcel Bascoulard, as well as contemporary artists such as Del LaGraceVolcano, Rhys Ernst, Zackary Drucker, Sailor De la Jaquette, Annie Sprinkle, Kent Monkman, and Juliana Huxtable. SMITH recounts that in 2012, his portrait of a young queer person displayed in French train stations went unrecognized as a trans body, but he feels society has begun to change. The issue also ties into the upcoming Parlement de la Photographie, an online event organized by the French Ministry of Culture on May 5-6, 2021, in partnership with 9Lives, AOC, artpress, and Fisheye. A roundtable on May 6 at 3pm will discuss photography's role in fostering a more inclusive society, featuring SMITH and others.