rae strozzo
they/them
The journey with these images began in 2011. I wanted to envision the ideas of masculinity as had been passed along to me via my father and maternal grandfather. I needed a way of leaning into that positive space as my own trans masculine identity was coming into fruition. These two men were my biggest models growing up even though the relationships felt incomplete due to chronic illness and distance. The planes with missing parts still fly. The series of paintings and drawings was completed in 2012. Or so I thought.
In 2016, I began my recovery as a survivor of incest and childhood organized sexual abuse. My grandfather was a large player in the abuse that I lived through from ages three to twelve. I started adding flowers to these works just last year and very slowly. The flowers in combination with the planes represent parts of me that fly, that survived, that are somehow whole despite my experiences. Painting has always been a balm in hard times and continues to be a navigation into the unknown next.
