“In 2018, I realized I was a man. There was only one problem: I was born female.”

Dysphoria in an exhibition about one artist’s experience of living in an incorrect body. In words and pictures, it documents the turmoil, discomfort, victories, and gratitude that TJ Southam has encountered on their journey towards gender affirmation. Dysphoria is also an education–an exercise in honesty that does not shy away from the ugly and uncomfortable parts of the artist’s story.

The exhibition combines words and images that are in various stages of completion and rendering, reflecting the inconstancy of the artist themself over the years the series was being developed. Paintings, sketches, reproductions, and protest posters are all executed in a limited black-and-white palette, referencing the absurdity of binary thinking when it comes to something as complex as gender.

TJ Southam (they/them/he/him) has been studying art in Brandon, Manitoba since 2017. They are a drawer, storyteller, writer, and overall maker of things who prioritizes the exploration of identity in their practice.