TheNewDowse was prepared for complaints about its exhibition, Assume Nothing.

It does, after all, feature intimate and, in some cases, naked portraits of people with alternative gender identity – exactly the sort of thing that is likely to create controversy.

But according to the exhibition curator, Claire Regnault, the Lower Hutt gallery has not received a single complaint since Assume Nothing opened in April.

"The reaction has been incredibly positive," she says. "It’s obviously the right time for an exhibition like this – people are more open to talking about the subject."

What has been particularly pleasing, she says, is the number of families who have visited the exhibition, which is made up of black and white photographs by Rebecca Swan, and accompanying documentary footage by filmmaker Kirsty McDonald. 

"During the first weekend a father was walking around looking at the photographs with his two children and one of them asked ‘Is that a man or a woman?’. The father said ‘Let’s read the label.'"

Challenging perceptions

Assume Nothing is intended to challenge perceptions about gender identity. The exhibition, which runs until August 31, is based on the book of the same name published by Rebecca Swan in 2004. The exhibition features photographs and interviews with more than 20 people. They include such well-known personalities as former MP, Georgina Beyer – the world’s first transgender politician – and flamboyant performer Carmen Rupe, as well as activist and educator Mani Bruce Mitchell.

Mitchell, who was born with both female and male genital tissue, is a member of the Intersex Awareness Trust, and was involved in the Human Rights Commission’s three-year inquiry into the discrimination faced by transgender people. The Commission’s report, To Be Who I Am, was published in January.

In one photograph Mitchell stands topless, staring directly at the viewer, a wispy beard visible on her chin. Written across her breasts are the words "I am not a monster".

But for all her defiance in the photograph, interviews with Mitchell in the accompanying documentary by Kirsty McDonald reveal someone who is thoughtful and self-contained. It’s that contrast which is one of the exhibition’s strengths, says Ms Regnault.

"Kirsty’s films really complement Rebecca’s images, which are quite confronting and very sensual and upfront. The strength of the films is that they show people for their extraordinariness and their ordinariness."

Making a positive impact

A quick flick through the comments book suggests that many who have come to see Assume Nothing have been profoundly affected by it.

"Truly wonderful," wrote one person. "Jack’s ‘Skin Tight’ touched my heart, expanded my love and everything here is profoundly beautiful. A seminal experience. Thank you."

"A celebration of all we are and the courage to be true to ourselves. Bravo!!!," wrote another.

The comments show that the exhibition has also touched a chord with those who are transgendered themselves:  "It’s powerful, and it means a lot to me to see images like ‘Tell my story’, and gives me the strength to be who I am in the world."

Ms Regnault says that the trans community has been very gratified by the response to Assume Nothing. The day after a radio interview with Mani Bruce Mitchell, for example, a listener dropped off a card for her at the gallery. A series of seminars run at the gallery by the Human Rights Commission during June were also very popular. The first seminar, Young and Trans, was particularly important as a way of providing young trans people with an opportunity to talk about their experiences.  

"The success of the exhibition at TheNewDowse has demonstrated the powerful role that art museums can play in bringing about change through providing a forum for dialogue," she says. "The project has shown just how powerful and accessible a public gallery can be. You have to be quite purposeful to go out and buy Rebecca’s book, but people can just stumble across the exhibition.

"TheNewDowse has often tackled challenging material, but it always does it in a very open and accessible way, so that it is never confrontational."

Assume Nothing runs at TheNewDowse until August 31. It will tour to Te Manawa in Palmerston North from February to May 2009, and to the Christchurch Museum in July and August 2009.

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Article by Ruth Nichol. Image by Rebecca Swan: 'Mark, boy/girl, 1998'.