Laurence Philomene is a photographer, director and curator based in Montreal, Canada. Their work deals with questions of identity and selfhood as seen through a colourful queer + trans lens, blending documentary and fine art approaches.
Laurence's work is informed by their lived experiences as a chronically ill transgender artist, coming of age amid the rise of internet culture and social media. Their work is rooted in care, both for their own community and for the greater public to gain an understanding of what it [can] mean to be a trans person living in America in the 21st century.
Through long-form collaborative and autobiographical projects, they are interested in exploring how western understandings of masculinity and femininity inform our perception of gender, and how the two can co-exist outside of the binary.
Laurence's work has been published internationally in magazines such as Vice, Courrier International,The Independent, Dazed, I-D, Broadly,Teen Vogue, CBC arts, Wonderland, and Hunger Magazine. They have participated in over 40 exhibitions worldwide, including solo exhibits in Toronto, Montreal, Berlin and Kracow. Laurence was listed as part of Adweek’s Creative 100 list in 2018, was a judge for the 2019 Getty Images Creative Bursary, and is a recipient of the 2019 Lucie Foundation emerging artist scholarship.
The artist is currently working on a monograph of their project "Me vs others", which will be published in collaboration with Editions Lemaitre (Paris) in 2019.
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editorial inquiries/press/bookings/print/exhibitions: laurencephilomenephoto@gmail.com
commercial inquiries: alli@adolescentcontent.com
prints via : official print store - paddle 8 - society6
larger archival/editioned print requests available via email
Selected clients
Vice, Broadly, Courrier International, Refinery29, VSCO, Converse, Netflix, Teen Vogue, Away, Showtime, Jump From Paper, Fluide beauty, Stay Home Club, Elle Girl Korea, Leméac, Yahoo Style, Frankie Magazine
Awards, accolades & residencies
Women photograph - Mentorship class, 2019-2020
Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship - Recipient, 2019
Getty Images Creative Bursary - Judge, 2019
In House Outer Space (Iceland) - Residency, 2019
Artsida9 - Emerging artist award, 2019
Adweek - Creative 100 list, 2018
Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship - shortlisted, 2017
Flickr 20 under 20 - Curator's choice award, 2014
Selected press
"Laurence Philomene and the trans gaze" on Humble Arts Foundation
"Testosterone and the trans gaze" on It's Nice That
"Personne ne documente le genre comme Laurence Philomene" on Vice Quebec
"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
"Hanging With The Subjects Of Laurence Philomene's Photo Series Non-Binary" on Refinery 29
"Representing non-binary bodies with Laurence Philomene" on I-D
Selected Solo Exhibitions
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2019. Laurence Philomene : Huldufólk & Puberty - La Cenne Espace Culturel - Montreal, Canada
2019. Laurence Philomene - Maison du Québec à St-Malo - St-Malo, France
2018. Me vs others - The Letter Bet - Montreal, Canada
2018. No girls / no boys / no nothin - Nosna Gallery - Cracow, 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
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2019. Under the anti lies the body - Slowroom Contemporary /Stefanskirken - Copenhagen, Denmark
2019. Boys! Boys! Boys! - Galerie Biesenbach - Cologne, Germany
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. Boys! Boys! Boys! - The Hospital Club - London, UK
2018. The Vice Magazine 2018 Photo Show - Parasol Projects - New York, USA
2018. Phi Fest - Fabrica Del Vapore - Milan, Italy
2017. Wooly Arts - Warehouse Meguro Gallery - Tokyo, Japan
2017. Instagram Jam / Month of Photography Los Angeles - Space15Twenty, presented by Lucie Foundation - Los Angeles, USA
2017. What does our future hold? The coven x Polyester Zine - Dye house - London, UK
2016. Freer in Berlin - Studio Blender & Co, presented by Curated by Girls - Berlin, Germany
2016. We, Other - Pop Montreal (Art Pop) - 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
2015. Soft Matter - Artwork Atelier Green Gate - Manchester, UK
2014. Flickr 20under20 - Milk Studios - New York, USA
2014. The Coven presents : Girlhood - La Centrale Gallerie Powerhouse - Montreal, Canada