April 12 – August 31, 2008
TheNewDowse

What does it mean to identify yourself as ‘transgender or gender fluid’, in a world determined to define you as either male or female? In this challenging yet sensitive exhibition entitled Assume Nothing, TheNewDowse invites you to leave your preconceptions at the door and take a walk in the shoes of those who identify as ‘alternatively gendered’. This series of stunning portrait photographs by Rebecca Swan, and award-winning documentary footage by Kirsty McDonald, reveals both the extraordinary, and often very ordinary worlds of New Zealand’s transgender community. These portraits are of transgender peoples from all walks of life, and include well-known personalities such as performer Carmen Rupe, politician Georgina Beyers, Wellington activist and spokesperson Mani Bruce Mitchel and artist Shigeyuki Kihara. Assume Nothing is an exploration and true celebration of the complex world of gender diversity.