Altar & Excavations Series
Bust of a trans fem woman Painting Oil Paint, Plaster body cast, wool 24" x 33' x 7" 2024 The piece features a fem trans woman wearing her silicone breasts. In her daily life, she presents as male, making it deeply meaningful to create this permanent female form.
Legs: Gender, Grace, and Fragility sculptural painting 22” x 25” x 7” oil paint, cotton, plaster, gesso These legs appear to belong to a body, but they are casts of a cisgender female and male. The background looks like flesh and also resembles a pink pearlescent mattress cover. The legs are gracefully posed, yet the joints seem fragile and need repair, with an ethereal coloration.
Detailed view of Legs: Gender, Grace, and Fragility sculptural painting 22” x 25” x 7” oil paint, cotton, plaster, gesso These legs appear to belong to a body, but they are casts of a cisgender female and male. The background looks like flesh and also resembles a pink pearlescent mattress cover. The legs are gracefully posed, yet the joints seem fragile and need repair, with an ethereal coloration.
Detail of Bust of a trans fem woman Painting Oil Paint, Plaster body cast, wool 24" x 33' x 7" 2024
Altar & Excavations
KIMBERLEE KOYM-MURTEIRA
Artist Statement
Feeling comfortable in your body is a privilege. In today's environment for immigrants, queer individuals, and non-binary people, we must find ways to thrive. My work celebrates queer and maternal bodies by combining ancient techniques, such as mask-making and body casting, with modern tools like 360-degree videography.
Casting is a traditional practice deeply rooted in Indigenous cultures, tracing back to Ancient Egypt. In these practices, masks symbolize envisionment and transformation, inspiring both imagination and action. By merging these ancient methods with modern technologies like 360-degree videography, I create a dialogue around the body that is both reverent and inclusive. I photograph figures in nature, capturing their essence, and utilize body casting with plaster bandages to honor diverse identities, particularly those of women, non-binary individuals, and mothers.