Artist Statement
Beyond the Binary is a photo and interview series that was born from the general lack of awareness and understanding surrounding the gender nonconforming community, combined with my desire to explore evolving pieces of my own identity. Since 2016 I have been meeting with people individually and capturing authentic portraits of them in their own chosen spaces. The in-depth interviews focus on who the subjects are and how they fit into the world. The goals of this project are to highlight those who are rarely given a platform to share their stories, and to serve as a general resource. It began in Massachusetts, but has been slowly expanding with the goal of interviewing people across the United States.
Beyond the Binary is a photo and interview series that was born from the general lack of awareness and understanding surrounding the gender nonconforming community, combined with my desire to explore evolving pieces of my own identity. Since 2016 I have been meeting with people individually and capturing authentic portraits of them in their own chosen spaces. The in-depth interviews focus on who the subjects are and how they fit into the world. The goals of this project are to highlight those who are rarely given a platform to share their stories, and to serve as a general resource. It began in Massachusetts, but has been slowly expanding with the goal of interviewing people across the United States.
The project includes over 60 people so far. It highlights a community that is rarely given a platform to share their stories, and those stories are not often seen or heard by the general public. These stories will hopefully serve as both a learning experience for those who are not familiar with these concepts, and a restorative experience for those who see themselves in the images. The project aims to create more dialogue around the concepts of gender and identity, and to establish more bridges of understanding between communities.
Artist Biography
Alex Mancini is a photographer and multidisciplinary artist specializing in creative portraiture, based near Boston, MA. Her editorial background guides the story-driven and narrative nature of her work. Her most recent work examines gender, expression, and meaning in the context of how we experience our own identities and how others perceive us. Her focus is on representation of the many aspects that make up an individual, with the goal of making viewers consider their own ideas, biases, and identities, and how those are shaped by society.
She has exhibited my work at the Photographic Resource Center in Boston, Mass., as well as various smaller galleries in both Boston and New York. Her photographs have been featured in The Boston Globe and The Rainbow Times. In 2018, she received a project grant from Mass Humanities to fund the solo exhibition of one of her latest projects, Beyond the Binary.