Mural Unveiled in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance
Wednesday, November 20th, marks Transgender Day of Remembrance. As the violence against trans women of color – particularly Black trans women – has increased to epidemic proportions over the last year, we partnered with artist UMAN (pronouns she/her, they/them) to do an installation on the windows at our 18th Street location in honor of those who have been lost to acts of violence.
Uman in her Brooklyn Studio
Of the collaboration, Uman said, “Callen-Lorde holds a special place in my heart. As a former patient I was lucky enough to come to Callen-Lorde and get all of the services I needed at a crucial time in my life.”
The installation consists of 24 panels created from canvases Uman painted in honor of the 23 Black trans women killed in 2019. The 24th panel reads:
“These images are in honor of the 23 (as of this project) Black trans women murdered over the last year. Each image is a silhouette, an abstraction of a body or part of a body that is transmutating into an organic form that lives on. We remember:
Breonna “BB” Hill
Itali Marlowe
Ja’Leyah-Jamar
Bee Love Slater
Bailey Reeves
Tracy Single
Bubba Walker
Pebbles La Dime Doe
Kiki Fantroy
Denali Berries Stuckey
Brooklyn Lindsey
Zoe Spears
Chanel Scurlock
Chynal Lindsey
Paris Cameron
Michelle “Tamika” Washington
Muhlaysia Booker
Claire Legato
Ashanti Carmon
Jazzaline Ware
Dana Martin
Layleen Polanco
Johana “Joa” Medina Leon
In addition to images that are in the tradition of Uman’s bold iconography (which translates complex ideas and emotions into a coherent messages about the memory of existence), Uman’s statement on remembrance is encapsulated in the depiction of the heart symbols which appear in selfies on social media from the trans women who were killed this year.
Uman said, “This day although somber reminds me to celebrate Trans lives everywhere / And especially those that have been taken away too soon and too young / We celebrate all your audacity / We celebrate all your love / We celebrate all of You”
The installation will run through Monday, December 2nd.
About Uman: Uman was born in 1980 in Somalia and lives/works in upstate New York. For more information about Uman’s work, contact David Fierman at FIERMAN Gallery, 917.593.4086 or fierman.nyc.