Larger than Life: Portraits of Transgender People

I am an artist and the mother of a transgender child. While I've long kept these two parts of my life separate, that changed in October 2018 when the New York Times reported on a federal memo aimed at stripping transgender people of civil rights. I knew I had to use my art to take a stand.

These portraits were painted out of love and a desire to honor the trans people in my life and community — not just as subjects, but as they see themselves and wish to be seen. Each portrait is paired with an audio clip of the subject speaking about their journey and what it means to them to be trans.

My hope is that these paintings celebrate their beauty and courage, and paint them permanently into our society — larger than life, on their own terms.

Nina Katz March 2020

The Portraits

All portraits are 65 × 45 in. Oil on Wood Panel