BEN GOOCH
h42 w30 (edition 20)
aquatint etching on fabriano
This artwork is questioning our (cultural) ideas about what is 'natural'.
'Gender Trouble' explores our ideas about what is 'natural' in relation to gender, and how this has changed over time. Sadie is in a hyper-masculine pose and attire typical of mid 18th Century England, which looks to modern eyes very camp. Engaging in a literal 'performance' of gender she is holding a slightly limp, phallic cactus (symbolising heteronormativity). A regal hound looks up at her, symbolising a fantasy of an adoring public in a world without identity-based prejudice. The title is a tribute to Judith Butler's seminal work on gender and identity, 'Gender Trouble'.
Ben is a self-taught queer trans masculine artist who interrogates cultural ideas about what is 'natural'. He works across paint and print in his practice.
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