Montana born artist, Rae Senarighi brings his large scale portraits to the Holter’s largest gallery in Transcend, portraying and celebrating accurate representation of Transgender and Nonbinary individuals. With vivid and bold colors these portraits radiate the brilliance of the individuals and celebrate accepting and loving one’s self.
With a Netflix partnership, a TedX talk, and as the artist behind the You Are Loved billboard campaign, Senarighi is making Montana and the nation a more positive and vibrantly loving place.
From the Artist:
“Being Transgender is not a linear, simple or singular experience. Every Transgender person is unique and yet we are united in a common struggle. The rights of Trans people are under attack, particularly here in the United States, with over 170 anti-Trans bills and more than 300 anti- LGBTQ bills introduced in 2022 alone, ranging from limiting our access in education, equity in athletics, and even criminalizing necessary healthcare. We are fighting for our basic human rights and for our very lives.
Over the last 5 years, I’ve dedicated my art practice to creating celebratory and accurate portraits of Transgender and Nonbinary people. Portraits in this series are of individuals living their lives out in the open with courage, authenticity and integrity. Deliberately omitting natural skin tones, vibrant rainbow colors are used to take pride in our intersectional identities uniting us in celebration. All clothing is depicted in gray-scale, which helps to not distract from the individual represented while carefully respecting their style. The vast blue sky is in direct response to the oppression and erasure from public space experienced by transgender people and is an homage to reclaiming space.
Sharing Trans stories is our path to understanding ourselves and each other. There’s a plethora of dehumanizing, oppressive and inaccurate messaging about the Trans community proliferating. I aim to empower our community by elevating our diverse authentic narratives. I encourage viewers of this series to learn more about the people represented. Instead of providing bios for each portrait subject, their Instagram handle is listed (or QR code to scan) in order to allow each person to tell their own story in their own unique way.
This portrait series aims to unravel oppression and generate respect for the Transgender community through a belief that respect comes from understanding.”
Senarighi headlines a museum wide installation of work by Transgender, NonBinary, and Two Spirit artists from in and around Montana.
*As with all Holter events and gatherings, hateful speech, intimidation, or aggressive behavior of any kind will not be welcome or tolerated.*
Rae Senarighi / AKA Transpainter is your average non-binary cancer survivor inspiring self-compassion, activism and gender resilience via unapologetic portraiture and typography. Originally from Montana, Rae currently resides in Madison, WI. He champions storytelling through art, working to create accurate and celebratory representation of the Transgender and Non-binary community in the fine art world and beyond. He is on a mission to spread self-acceptance and love, as is evident in his portraiture, typography and speaking engagements. Rae believes that trust and self-love are vital to the journey of understanding and accepting his own identity, hoping to remind others to not only love themselves, but to celebrate and lift up their respective communities. Rae’s typographic messages of love and support have graced over 200 billboards across the nation through grassroots fundraising efforts. Rae’s portrait works have been featured in galleries throughout the United States and internationally in a wide range of outlets. Netflix and GLAAD invited Rae to celebrate authentic, accurate portrayals of Trans characters in media through a series of paintings. He’s also partnered with the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference and Washington Healthcare for All to support healthcare for the Transgender community.
Thank you to our sponsors! PureView Health Center, Montana Book Co, Ascent Bank, Imagine Designs, The Painted Pot, and The Gold Bar & Western Bar!
Museum Hours:
Tues – Sat: 10 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 4pm
FREE ADMISSION
12 E. Lawrence St.
Helena, MT 59601