NATURAMAXXING
NATURAMAXXING
Naturamaxxing is a practice-based research project/masters thesis that departs from the contradiction of how the cultural narrative that frames trans identities as “unnatural” grows simultaneously with an unprecedented rise in cosmetic and gender-affirming procedures among cisgender populations, aka “looksmaxxing.” The research examines how Western concepts of nature, the body, and gender have been historically constructed through processes of separation, classification, and exploitation. It contests the opposition between the “natural” and the “artificial” through Tupi-Guarani ontological lenses, while examining the failure of Western language to comprehend human existence. Drawing on Richard Dawkins’ concept of the meme and speculative biochemistry, the project considers the body and DNA as archives of biological and cultural knowledge, and positions transgender people as a cultural milestone that has profoundly transformed society’s understanding of bodily autonomy and self-sovereignty.
