Art and Heritage Online Database

Collection: Grays School of Art Collection
Object Type: print
Artist/Maker: McLennaghan, Connor
Date: 2024
Media/Materials: ink on paper
Dimensions: overall: 59.5 cm x 42 cm
Awards: RGU Contemporary Art Practice Purchase Award
Classification: Contemporary Art Practice

Description:

One of a suite of eight unframed A3 lino prints on A2 paper. Edition of 25. This print features a person on top of shoulders.

As a transgender artist, my work always involves some conversation surrounding the trans experience, as well as interest in the politics of print and how printmaking has been used through decades as a way of protest.

I’m interested in subtle language; using text that for me means something about the trans experience but for someone else it could evoke different readings. During my time at art school, I have developed a practice that can be visually accessible. Through simple yet bold imagery and language, I wanted to make work that someone could look at and connect to easily.

This work comes from my degree show, in response to the current political climate surrounding Trans Rights in 2024. When making this work, I thought a lot about where we are now as a community and how much backlash we receive daily. With trans deaths being at an all-time high, I wanted this work to sit as a piece of hope, a motivation to carry on yet also remember those who came before. This work isn’t necessarily for me, it’s for the young trans kids who feel lost, it’s for the older trans people who are struggling to fight, and it’s a reminder to keep persisting.

Object Number: ABDRG2024.7.8