Using the camera as a tool of self-inquiry, Vaughan Larsen explores personal perceptions of identity. The Los Angeles–based artist’s pursuit of self-understanding has taken them on an odyssey through landscapes that mirror the curves and bends of both the feminine and masculine. In Los Angeles, the trans-feminine Larsen has begun to weave community members and props into staged portraits to express a sense of inclusion and belonging for all.

The new work engages in dialogue with the American landscape photography tradition in an effort to explore the anthropomorphizing—specifically, gendering—of nature. Larsen contemplates the concept of ‘natural’ in relation to how the body is seen by others. Through a critical examination of the construct that nature is feminine, Larsen disrupts traditional gender binaries imposed upon both individuals and spaces.

In addition to the solitary self, Larsen has begun to incorporate additional people, props, and materials into their composition, stating: “There is no self, you only exist when a relationship exists.” Turning their attention to the relationships that surround them has enabled Larsen to broaden their analysis of gender expression and viewer perception.

Vaughan Larsen was raised in Central Wisconsin and graduated with a BFA in Photography from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2019. Their award-winning work has been shown in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, and internationally in Germany, Italy, and Russia. Everything I Could Ever Want is Larsen’s first solo museum exhibition.

Images:
(Top) New Citrus, 2021
(Left) Untitled, 2021