Gender is an imitation for which there is no original

Lee Kern creates a gender-fluid visual cosmos that defies normative notions of gender.

Hosted by Lee Kern

This project is now archived and was part of DDW23

photographer: Lucia Blumenberg, concept: Lee Kern

Gender is an imitation for which there is no original is a creative deconstruction of normative understandings of gender. Queer counter-designs take the place of stereotypical binary gender roles. Along with a photographic series the project offers a new passport embracing gender fluidity.

On Gender

"There is no original or primary gender a drag imitates, but gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original." -Judith Butler Gender is an elaborate and often oppressive construction. Take a look at the internet and you will find lengthy instructions on how to reproduce masculinity or femininity. Gender is not a neutral fact; it is a categorization we make of people and their bodies. This categorization is accompanied by expectations about appearance, character, way of life and sexuality. People are shaped within a particular gender system from birth. At the same time, the variability of bodies and the diversity of human existences defy simplistic binary logics.

The Art of Subversion

“Gender is an imitation for which there is no original” is an examination of binary gender constructs from a non-binary perspective. In the queer tradition of Judith Butler, Lee Kern has reappropriated and actively misinterpreted normative guidance on gender. Stereotypical instructions from internet forums become metamorphoses of the familiar in their pictorial translation. Parody and misunderstanding serve as a means of deconstructing social norms and gender norms. Lee Kern creates queer counter-designs that offer new understandings of the body, self-care and self-expression. The project consists of a photographic series that subverts gender stereotypes through unusual exaggerations. It also includes a book of collected images and a speculative identity card that reimagines how gender fluidity might be represented in an institutional context.