VAUGHAN LARSEN
You Make me Feel Like I'm Floating, archival pigment print, 22”x32”, 2020
I made this self-portrait in collaboration with my now ex-partner. As we are both transgender, we would often joke how it felt like we were a parody of a straight couple. I'm very interested in the history of photography, and how it's been used in the past. I was incredibly excited to relive this classic scene of a magician seeming to levitate his charming assistant. I was also drawn to embodying these characters because this image has been made by an unlimited number of magicians through time, and it almost feels like an archetype of partnership within an image. Bringing this into the present by using it to express our love for each other at the time, was very fun.
Lady Nosegay, archival pigment print, 32”x22”, 2023
I'm very drawn to shooting in nature outdoors because it's an automatic ready-made set for you to use 24/7. When I got the opportunity to create a self-portrait in this indoor forest set by artist Paul McCarthy, I couldn't have been more ecstatic! Lady Nosegay confronts the viewer with her gaze, inviting you into her world of oversized flowers and astroturf.
New Citrus, archival pigment print, 32”x22”, 2021
Sophia was the very first trans girl I met in Los Angeles. At the time, I was living out of my car and couchsurfing. Sophia, a stranger at the time, invited me to stay on her couch for two weeks after connecting on the queer dating app, Lex. Her backyard has multiple citrus trees, and it became somewhat of a safe escape I could retreat to, and do a daily morning yoga session on Youtube. I wanted to document our connection and memory using her space.
Graces, archival pigment print, 22”x32”, 2023
This self-portrait holds a very dear place in my heart. I made this with my two close friends Sasha and Amelia. They were some of the first trans girls I met in Los Angeles, and have opened me up to an entire community of other transfemmes. We've shared many tears over the last few months - both happy and sad. This photograph was made to represent our sisterhood connection, mimicked from posing of the Three Graces - three famous sisters depicted throughout classical art. I've also had a deep bond with the Pacific Ocean over the last few months, and am bringing that into the commemoration of our relationship as well.
Why Water Street?
It brings me so much joy imagining transgender patients coming to Planned Parenthood for gender-affirming care, and seeing the trans community in my photographs! Especially patients that might not feel comfortable expressing themselves in affirming ways, or are still searching for that community they can call their own. I'd like to think my images are a reminder that trans love exists everywhere, even if you don't always see it!
More about the artist:
I am an artist, community organizer, and LGBTQ+ activist based in Los Angeles and Milwaukee. My work is a way for me to express my identity, using photography to work through feelings about myself and my body. This processing also takes place by sharing my experience with others, helping them become more aware of LGBTQ+ individuals. I am creating work as a celebration of my queer identity. Raised in Suburban Wisconsin, the concept of queer values intertwined with the American Dream is a constant theme in my work. When I include others in my photographs, I use my camera as a tool to deepen our connection.
More recently, I made self-portraits in collaboration with friends, both old and new, during a 6 month cross-country road trip. The work connects me with the land and an impromptu community I built while living on the road. These photographs have since extended into the queer/trans community I’m building in Los Angeles.
