FLUID: Portraits by Blake Little

Image: Blake Little, Leo and Nathan; David; Brynn, ©BlakeLittle2019.

January 11 – April 11, 2020

Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St.
Lekwungen territory

Guest curated by Wayne Baerwaldt.

As people who identify as trans, gender fluid, non-binary, Two Spirit, and other diverse gender identities face complex and challenging societal responses, the act of representing oneself can be a brave act of defiance. FLUID, a new photographic portrait series by Los Angeles-based artist Blake Little, sets out to collaborate with diverse local, national and international trans and gender fluid people to capture and reflect some of the concerns and potentials of how they choose to represent themselves through photography.

Supported by the Chair in Transgender Studies. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.



Teacher’s Guide

This FLUID: Portraits by Blake Little exhibition Teacher’s Guide is free to download and use as reference in the classroom.


Events & Programs

Film Screening & Artist Talk: Framing Agnes with Chase Joynt

Sunday, April 5th | 2-4 pm Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St. | Lekwungen territory | Facebook Event Supported by the Chair in Transgender Studies

Join trans culture writer and filmmaker Chase Joynt for a discussion about the role of fantasy and fiction in the telling of (trans) histories along with a screening of his recent short film, Framing AgnesFraming Agnes premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and is being expanded into a feature film with support from Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program. Joynt joined UVic’s Department of Gender Studies in July, 2019 after his term as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago. Copies of Joynt’s first book, You Only Live Twice—a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award that was also named one of the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail and the CBC—will be on hand and available for purchase.

About Framing Agnes: In the late 1950s, a woman named Agnes approached the UCLA Medical Center seeking sex reassignment surgery. Her story was long considered to be exceptional and singular until never-before-seen case files of other patients were found in 2017. Framing Agnes features preeminent trans culture-makers breathing new life into those who redefined gender in the mid-century.

Starring Zackary Drucker (She Gone Rogue, Transparent), Angelica Ross (Pose, American Horror Story), Silas Howard (By Hook or By Crook, A Kid Like Jake), and Max Wolf Valerio (Max, The Testosterone Files).


Open Celebration: FLUID Portraits by Blake Little

Saturday, January 25 | 2 – 4pm | Legacy Downtown | 630 Yates St. | Lekwungen territory |Supported by the Chair in Transgender Studies

Join us for the opening reception of FLUID featuring a performance by local spoken word artist K.P Dennis.