Transcend

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.*