“Man and his dog”, begins in my interest, in the construction of historic male identity and the wilderness. Throughout history, it has been the responsibility of the men to hunt, battle and subdue the wilderness that would become their civilization. This concept has created a societal constraint- that throughout history and colonization it becomes a prerequisite for male heroism. Or the ultimate spiritual experience–man and nature.
I am a transgender person and in this space, I am exploring my personal identity and relationship to nature and the construction of space created for me/against me. My work relates to my desire to be male, and my necessary interrogation of both the power dynamics and the history of being male. As a transgender person in the process of transitioning from female to male, I am approaching this work from a new space that isn’t about being one gender or another but rather, and of necessity, existing in the space of both.
Below is a gallery of photographic stills by Kean on behalf of his “Man and His Dog” project.