Night at the Museum

A piece of art which evoked strong feelings for me was Four Genders Were Born… by Nanibah Chacon (2022). While I understand that this work is meant to convey that indigenous cultures do not conform to the gender binary, that is not how this painting appears to a western audience. Rather, it is highly provocative. The painting appears to show a serious misplacement of genitalia. My initial response to this artwork was shock and revulsion. I wanted to look away. This is because the subjects appear to possess a deformity. However, the deeper understanding I garnered from this painting is that genitalia does seem to lack the significance it is traditionally ascribed in determining one’s gender. I observe a clear male and female in this painting even though the genitalia has been swapped. The facial features and the remainder of the body produce
this gendered effect. Consequently, what this painting communicates in the bigger picture is that gender is nuanced and contains a myriad of characteristics aside from genitalia. Gender may be strongly associated with genitalia. That is why the image feels wrong. However, in contrast to conventional wisdom, gender is far more complicated than what is under one’s pants or dress.