Testosterone on Canvas
Exhibited at Tutu Gallery, 2023
Dylan Seh-Jin Kim and Samuel S.K. Moussan
I take topical testosterone every day as gender-affirming care. It transfers upon touch and can be absorbed by anyone who comes into contact with it. In this work it is painted it onto a canvas. While not visible to the naked eye, it can be absorbed by a viewer through touch. This work is a gesture toward access for trans and gender non-conforming people.
A placard accompanying the work reads: "Please do not touch. However, if you identify as trans or non-binary, the artist invites you to do so if you feel called to."
This piece was born out of a combination of frustration and fascination: a year of trouble accessing my testosterone, encounters with medical gatekeeping, as well as reflection on how my consistent daily application of the substance has given me a “second skin”, a different way of being perceived and treated by the world -- sometimes more a reflection of gender ideals and its projections than it is of me.
The work can be priced upon inquiry for cisgender buyers, and is available for trade via forms of material or non-material exchange for trans people.