Puppies Puppies at the Venice Biennale: Celebrating Trans and Non-Binary Identities Through Sculpture

American artist Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo) is taking the art world by storm. After having her own solo show at the New Museum at the end of 2023, she has now been selected to appear at the Venice Biennale, the world’s premiere art event whose prestige is comparable to the film industry’s Academy Awards.

Staying true to her identity as a trans woman, one of the pieces she is exhibiting at the Venice Biennale is her renowned bronze sculpture A sculpture for Trans Women A  sculpture for the Non-Binary Femmes A sculpture for Two-Spirit People. The life-size sculpture is a 3D scan of the artist’s own body, made to be reminiscent of Renaissance-era bronze sculptures by Donatello. It portrays her body, which looks otherwise female despite her male genitalia. As the piece’s title suggests, this is a deliberate choice made to affirm the bodies of trans women, non-binary femmes, and two-spirit people and uplift them to the same high status that Renaissance bronze sculptures have in society. 

The sculpture’s presence at the Venice Biennale also helps to affirm trans, non-binary, and two-spirit identities globally. It creates a large-scale celebration of their identities while marking wider acceptance of gender fluidity. This makes the piece resonate with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality.

A 2022 report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation shared that empowering trans and non-binary visibility is necessary as it can greatly increase their quality of life. The report stated that the trans and non-binary unemployment rate is three times higher than that of the general population. Also, one in three trans people have been refused health care by providers due to their gender identity. 

According to the report, this status quo was being kept in place partly due to the public’s unfamiliarity with trans and non-binary identities. Almost half of their survey respondents stated that they were either somewhat unfamiliar or were very unfamiliar with trans and non-binary people’s issues. This unfamiliarity has allowed for negative and demonizing narratives of trans and non-binary individuals to thrive. This is why gender-affirming artworks, such as Puppies Puppies’ that increase trans, non-binary and two-spirit visibility in an empowering light is absolutely crucial.

Without doubt, the inclusion of Puppies Puppies’ A sculpture for Trans Women A sculpture for the Non-Binary Femmes A sculpture for Two-Spirit at the Venice Biennale is a significant move to increase trans visibility in the art world. The piece affirms the presence of the mentioned identities on a global stage, contributing to the wider acceptance of gender fluidity in a world where trans and non-binary people face discrimination.

Find out more about Puppies Puppies’ A sculpture for Trans Women A sculpture for the Non-Binary Femmes A sculpture for Two-Spirit People and their other pieces by checking their Instagram @puppiespuppiesjade.