Laurence Philomene is a photographer based in Montreal, Canada. They use a blend of documentary, fine art and self portraiture to explore queer and trans experiences through high-saturated, caring and intimate images. They are a recipient of the 2019 Lucie Foundation emerging artist scholarship, and the 2020 Women Photograph mentorship program.
Laurence's work is informed by their lived experiences as a chronically ill, non-binary transgender artist coming of age amid the rise of social media. Through long-form collaborative and autobiographical projects, they aim to celebrate trans existence, and to study identity as a space in constant flux. Their work humanizes an identity that has been historically marginalized, and acts as a love letter to their community. It also investigates ideas of masculinity and femininity, and how the two can co-exist outside of the binary.
Laurence's work has been published internationally in the likes of Vice, Courrier International, Dazed, I-D, Broadly, Teen Vogue, CBC arts, Wonderland, Bomb Magazine, Refinery29, and more. Their work has been presented in over 40 exhibitions worldwide, including solo exhibits in Toronto, Montreal, Berlin and Kracow.
Laurence was named as part of Adweek’s creative 100 list in 2018, presented their work at the 2019 Cannes Lyons festival, and served as a judge for the 2019 Getty Images Creative Bursary.
Member of Women Photograph
Editorial inquiries/press/bookings/print/exhibitions: laurencephilomenephoto@gmail.com
Commercial inquiries: naomi@adolescentcontent.com
Prints : official print store - more archival/editioned prints available via email
Clients include Netflix, Beats by Dre, CBC, Vice, Broadly, Refinery29, VSCO, Converse, Teen Vogue, Away, Airbnb Experiences, Showtime, Courrier International, Yahoo Style, Medium, Fluide Beauty, Jump from Paper
Awards & Distinctions
2019 Women Photograph 2020 mentorship class - Recipient (mentee) - USA
2019 Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship - Recipient - USA
2019 Artsida 9 - Emerging artist award - Canada
2018 Adweek - Creative 100 list - USA
2017 Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship - Shortlist - USA
2014 Flickr 20 under 20 - Curator’s choice award - USA
Recent Press
"Laurence Philomene : Puberty" on Lucie Foundation
"Fotographers in Focus : Laurence Philomene" on Fotografiska NY
"These 14 Photographers Are Changing the Way We See the World" on Vice
"3 Artists On How Creativity Defines Them" on Refinery29
"Q&A: Laurence Philomène" Conversation with Jess T. Dugan on Strange Fire
"Laurence Philomene on the beauty of everyday trans existence" on Yiara Magazine
"Women Talk : Laurence Philomene" on Women Photograph
"Laurence Philomene and the trans gaze" on Humble Arts Foundation
"Testosterone and the trans gaze" on It's Nice That
"Gender Dysphoria : Laurence Philomene interviewed" on Bomb Magazine
"This photographer spent 7 years photographing their trans bestie" on Broadly
"It is what it is, Laurence Philomene & Starchild Stela" essay by Maddie Alper for Xpace
"Representing non-binary bodies with Laurence Philomene" on I-D
Available / Upcoming books
2020 "Boys Boys Boys" - Curated by Ghislain Pascal, teNeues/Mendo, 1st edition of 5,000 - Pre-order here
2020 New Queer Photography: Focus on the margins - Verlag Kettler - Germany - first edition of 1,000
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 Huldufólk & Puberty - La Cenne - Montreal, Canada
2018 Me vs others - The Letter Bet - Montreal, Canada
2018 No girls / no boys / no nothin - Nosna Gallery - Kracow, Poland
2018 It is what it is (with Starchild Stela) - Xpace Cultural Centre - Toronto, Canada
2017 Non-binary portraits - Cogalleries, presented by Curated by Girls - Berlin, Germany
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 New Visions (Fotografiska NY x VICE) - Fotografiska Museum NY - NYC, USA
2020 Yearning for Comfort, Not Cure - Gallery 1C03, The University of Winnipeg - Winnipeg, Canada
2019 Under the anti lies the body - Slowroom Contemporary - Copenhagen, Denmark
2019 Currents (curated by Forge Art Mag) - Mount Analogue - Seattle, USA
2019 Chromatic festival (10th edition) - Usine C - Montreal, Canada
2019 Boys! Boys! Boys! - The Ravestijn Gallery - Amsterdam, Netherlands
2019 Artsida 9 - Musée d’art contemporain - Montreal, Canada
2018 Possible Selves: queer foto vernaculars - The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) - Williamstown, USA
2018 The Vice Magazine 2018 Photo Show - Parasol Projects - New York, USA
2018 Phi Fest - Fabrica Del Vapore - Milan, Italy
2017 Instagram Jam / Month of Photography Los Angeles - Lucie Foundation - Los Angeles, USA
2016 We, Other - Pop Montreal - Montreal, Canada
2016 Diaphanous - Index Art Center - Newark, USA
2016 What A Time To Be Alive - Sunday x Slow Culture - Los Angeles, USA
2015 Same - Stream Gallery - New York, USA
2014 Flickr 20under20 - Milk Studios - New York, USA
2014 The Coven presents : Girlhood - La Centrale Gallerie Powerhouse - Montreal, Canada
Artist talks & residencies
2019 Photo Ed Magazine : LGBT Pecha Kucha - Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto, Canada
2019 “Laurence Philomene: Rétrospective du genre” - Collège du Vieux-Montréal, Montreal, Canada
2019 “How Gen Z is reinventing masculinity in media” - Cannes Lyons Festival, Cannes, France
2019 In House Outer Space - Artist residency - Reykjavik, Iceland
2019 “Le Corps pour objectif : Laurence Philomene” - Université Sciences Po, Paris, France
Selected Curatorial experience
2019 Writer + curator, Vice Photo : “9 photographers flipping the script on trans and non-binary representation” - online
2019 Judge - Getty Images Creative Bursary - USA
2017 Curator - The coven x Polyester tarot deck : “What does our future holds” - London, UK
2016 Co-founder + curator - Camp Gallery - Montreal, Canada
2012-2017 Co-founder + curator - The Coven collective - online / Exhibitions in NYC, San Fransisco & Montreal