Who I am
Makaylyn Bowen is a trans artist from Arlington, Washington. Growing up people didn’t talk about being queer, let alone trans, so when they started to question their own sexuality and gender that town was isolating. Their experience being raised and socialized as a woman creates an unending connection to their own femininity, and a resentment for it. It’s a strange feeling, and it’s one that fuels much of their work as an artist. Getting away from the town that knew them as someone else was one of the best things Makaylyn could have done. It gave them the space they needed to come into themselves, and the distance from their childhood they needed to come to terms with it. Now, Makaylyn seeks to foster a sense of understanding and connection through their work. They paint to see and be seen, and hopefully their work offers the sense of community they were always searching for.
What I make
The work I’m making largely revolves around childhood, memory, and transness. Through the exploration of how society shapes us, and we in turn shape each other, I gain a better understanding of the world around me and myself. As a trans individual I’ve become unrecognizable from my childhood, there’s a disconnect between me and my own memory. Within my work I tend to demonize the parts of myself that remind me of that fact. My work aims to analyze how being socialized a certain way contributes to the disconnect within my memory and perception of my body. I use oil paint because of its forgiving nature and willingness to change. It’s a gradual process that requires your constant attention. It’s fluid and moveable, allows for mistakes, pivots and new directions. It’s an incredibly human process. I can grow and change in the span of a painting, and the material allows that evolution of my identity.
Get in touch
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