In San Antonio, a Landmark Art Exhibit Celebrates Gender Identity and Community

There’s a painting in Transamerica/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today that sums up the exhibit’s quietly subversive mood. Titled “Robert,” the acrylic work depicts a heavyset bearded man in a Morrissey T-shirt. With tattoos on his arm and a black cuff bracelet on his wrist, he appears stereotypically masculine. Then you notice that he’s wielding a pair of quilting shears, cutting fabric for a sewing project. Artist James Gobel, whose work focuses on bear culture, has adorned the painting with pieces of yarn, felt and thread. Why shouldn’t a big, masculine man partake in a traditionally feminine craft?

James Gobel, “Robert,” 2007. Felt, yarn, thread, and acrylic on canvas. (Credit: Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Museum purchase with funds from the McNay Contemporary Collectors Forum. © 2019 James Gobel)

Transamerica/n bends gender norms in all sorts of directions. On display at the McNay Art Museum until September 15, the exhibit is billed as the country’s first major survey of North American art focused on gender identity. It’s presented in tandem with an exhibit of portraits by Andy Warhol and includes 100 pieces by more than 50 LGBTQ artists and allies, with a special emphasis on San Antonio’s Latino community.