{"id":45534,"date":"2021-08-20T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/?p=45534"},"modified":"2022-01-27T10:17:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T10:17:52","slug":"trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In February 2019, brightly coloured graffiti art began appearing across Oxford\u2019s streets. Messages emblazoned across lamp posts and street corners included \u2018Trans happiness is real\u2019 and \u2018There is no binary explanation for us.\u2019 This eye-catching street art is by a group of anonymous young activists, who join us for a special Instagram takeover between 21-24 August 2021.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In their blog below, learn how the group spreads trans-positive messages through their creative interventions, the \u2018TERF\u2019 graffiti wars they still face and their latest textiles project in one of Oxford\u2019s best known museums.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Content warning: Please note this blog post contains references to suicide.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Art does nothing if it doesn\u2019t speak to people, and to do that it needs to connect with them: be present in their daily lives. In February 2019, we found a message we needed to share with ourselves and the public, and so to do that as broadly as we could, we screen printed it onto rainbow paper, and wheat pasted it onto the streets: TRANS HAPPINESS IS REAL. We have been screaming it into the city through various media ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRANS HAPPINESS IS REAL. TRANS HAPPINESS IS REAL. TRANS HAPPINESS IS REAL. die mad about it.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Image: Trans Happiness is Real<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We started an Instagram project to share and document the street art, spread it through the digital streets people traverse daily, as well as the physical ones of the city. We drove up hard against the transphobia which has been having a hot moment in recent years, as trans people and trans art\/activism become more visible. Our posters were vandalised, of course, the \u2018TRANS\u2019 parts ripped away or covered up, but we also began seeing transphobic stickers stuck up around Oxford, spreading TERF* diatribes with crude diagrams, twice a day every day \u2013 an incredible commitment to hate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point we realised we had to not only get our message into people\u2019s daily lives, but also fight to take up space, take over the narrative, and stake a claim for the spaces of Oxford to be trans-positive.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I say \u2018had to\u2019 because we felt this was work we had a deep responsibility to do (not just make) \u2013 driven by the combination of messages telling us to commit suicide, and many more others telling us people had seen our work and been filled with joy, strength and a sense of connection. When you\u2019re trans, messages about whether you should be allowed to exist are inescapably both personal and political.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning, others got involved and the streets turned into a giant conversation: transphobes saying to us \u2018you are perverse, you are disgusting and violent and shameful, you do not belong here\u2019, and trans people and allies saying to each other \u2018you are strong, you are full of the potential for happiness, I see you, I am here too\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The snowballing moment turned into a snowballing movement, and our rainbow-printed efforts were quickly supported by an increasing squadron of stickerers \u2013 we don\u2019t know each other, but we are known to each other through the visual physical space we are claiming in the city.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As stickers by multiple hands have gone up, and been scratched down, and gone up, and been covered up, and gone up again, we at @transhappinessisreal have worked at using different media and placement to keep speaking to people on the streets. We have cycled through posters, moss, zines, graffiti and stencilled spray paint, and finally landed squarely in textiles \u2013 as the culmination of durability and tactility we\u2019re obsessing over as we try to make work that\u2019s PRESENT to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image: Trans Happiness is Real<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some of our recent work can right now be seen and touched (if you wash your hands) in the Pitt Rivers Museum\u2019s Beyond the Binary<\/em> exhibitition; our \u2018Frankenstein\u2019 is a 6m square patchwork, pieced together from contributions from our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the knowledge that old sheets can be wheatpasted up, dyed, crocheted, and will take some effort to rip apart into nothing, other textile work has rooted on the street, and more is to come. #TransFuturesAreBright<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

*\u2019TERF\u2019 stands for \u2018Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist\u2019; a movement which labels itself \u2018radical feminist\u2019, but which excludes trans women and contributes a lot of hate to global transphobia, and so actually cannot be considered feminist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Words by @transhappinessisreal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the group on Instagram here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore Beyond the Binary <\/em>on the Pitt Rivers Museum website here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With thanks to George Fitzsimons who helped to commission this takeover for Modern Art Oxford.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In February 2019, brightly coloured graffiti art began appearing across Oxford\u2019s streets. Messages emblazoned across lamp posts and street corners included \u2018Trans happiness is real\u2019 and \u2018There is no binary explanation for us.\u2019 This eye-catching street art is by a group of anonymous young activists, who join us for a special Instagram takeover between 21-24… Continue reading Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-resources","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In February 2019, brightly coloured graffiti art began appearing across Oxford\u2019s streets. Messages emblazoned across lamp posts and street corners included \u2018Trans happiness is real\u2019 and \u2018There is no binary explanation for us.\u2019 This eye-catching street art is by a group of anonymous young activists, who join us for a special Instagram takeover between 21-24… Continue reading Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Art Oxford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"focusadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"focusadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"focusadmin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422\"},\"headline\":\"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":762,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Inspiration\",\"Resources\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/\",\"name\":\"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/\",\"name\":\"Modern Art Oxford\",\"description\":\"Just another WordPress site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422\",\"name\":\"focusadmin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"focusadmin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/mao.local.test\\\/cms\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\\\/cms\\\/author\\\/focusadmin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford","og_description":"In February 2019, brightly coloured graffiti art began appearing across Oxford\u2019s streets. Messages emblazoned across lamp posts and street corners included \u2018Trans happiness is real\u2019 and \u2018There is no binary explanation for us.\u2019 This eye-catching street art is by a group of anonymous young activists, who join us for a special Instagram takeover between 21-24… Continue reading Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art","og_url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/","og_site_name":"Modern Art Oxford","article_published_time":"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"focusadmin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"focusadmin","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/"},"author":{"name":"focusadmin","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422"},"headline":"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art","datePublished":"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/"},"wordCount":762,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Inspiration","Resources"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/","url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/","name":"Trans Happiness is Real: Oxford\u2019s graffiti art - Modern Art Oxford","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-08-20T15:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-27T10:17:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/trans-happiness-is-real-oxfords-graffiti-art\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_20190213_153122_922-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":2560},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/","name":"Modern Art Oxford","description":"Just another WordPress site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1ae1f6dcc48ef814137d0d6f1a1422","name":"focusadmin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3bc5d016864bac687500ee383e0cb8f50f800ad46a6943c3a9ec653c89f9e14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"focusadmin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/mao.local.test\/cms"],"url":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/author\/focusadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45534"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47840,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45534\/revisions\/47840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}