Shelby x J Frank

J Frank is an artist focussed on capturing the nuance of trans* experience, depicting it as a continuously changing state of being as opposed to an end goal. His work is mostly autobiographical and moves through many mediums, it is about recognising that being transgender is not about being a girl versus a boy but instead a state of becoming with no precedence of the finished product.

Q1. We love your article for the 4 :20 issue of the e-zine. Could you share a little overview of this and talk us through your thought process?

My article is about looking at how I, as a trans* person, interact with cannabis and use it to combat dysphoria. I wanted to open peoples eyes as to how cannabis is deeper than reducing the anxiety that results out of dysphoria. Hopefully, people will read it and begin to rethink the actions that they and others partake in and how ingrained gender norms remain.


Q2. What attracted you to want to submit to the 4 :20 issue of the zine?

I think it’s as simple as I’m a big fan of cannabis and art activism! I loved the intersection, and saw how my experiences as a trans* person could fit into this conversation.

Q3. What impact, if any, has the process of writing had on your exploration of gender and binaries?

I’m a big reader, and the place I found myself most was in academic writings on gender theory, which might be considered quite boring for some, but as a trans* masculine person we solemnly see accurate representation in any forms of media. This is where I found myself and to be able to write and express myself through learnt ideas and explore them further has allowed me to understand where I fit in to the spectrum and to compare my own experiences to that of my trans* masculine gender theorist idols.



Q4. You've worked on a diverse range of projects, from illustration to sculpture. What's been the most interesting project to date and why?

My most interesting project so far has definitely been my current work-in-progress. It is a photo series capturing what exists of the trans* archive in person, where I will be going to sites of trans* liberation in London and defying this ‘sad transgender’ troupe that we can sometimes carry over our heads. It’s a lot of research because the archives are pretty bare bones due to criminalisation, isolation and the hiding that has taken place within the trans* community. It’s been a way to log the histories of people who succeeded in the place I live.


Q5. Could you tell us more about your hetero-queer practice based research and some of the projects this has led to?

The idea of the Herero-queer came out of me making works about the masculine experience from a body that would be considered outside of those circles. It was about affirming queer people within the issues of the heteronormative, and then some. This has led to a lot of the work that focuses on the male phallus. The male phallus is something that we as a society are obsessed with, it’s idolisation, it’s absence and it’s power. It is an object of interest for me as a trans* person, and as a queer person, but I think heteronormative culture is just as obsessed with it.


Q6. If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?

Cassils, I would do anything to work with them.


Q7. Where can people find/buy/commission more of your work?

You can find me @fickle_dreams on Instagram or via my website www.jjfrank.co.uk