Description
ARTIST STATEMENT
Queer bodies, particularly trans bodies, are often labeled as something to be “fixed” — entities in a state of error, a glitch. However, glitches aren’t inherently negative; they possess power against systems expecting certain outcomes and strength in defying those systems. By embodying ourselves through digital existence and the safety that digital spaces provide, we can resist growing transphobia in the United States and transcend laws seeking to strip away our rights.
By embracing the label of glitch, we create digital havens — vital places for exploring gender expression and personal identity without fear of punishment. Through the safety they provide, digital realities often become more important and vibrant than our AFK (away from keyboard) existence.
The ever-moving, ever-glitching self-portraits show how gender in the digital realm can be ever-mutable. It exists in constant flux, allowing for continuous exploration of self. This fluid sense of self isn’t unique to trans people; it’s something everyone experiences online. There’s no way of knowing how someone exists differently in their digital space compared to their AFK world. Together, we embody multitudes.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Leni Mae Wiegand is a transfeminine lens-based artist. Her work focuses on data, glitch theory, and the importance of digital spaces for queer resistance. She received her MFA in Photography from Indiana University in 2025, her BA in Business Management from Benedictine University in 2022, and their Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in Photography from the College of DuPage in 2020. She currently has 10 CRT TVs, 5 LCD TVs, 8 media players, and dozens of adapters that are used for installations shoved into her closet. This makes her mildly concerned that “Artist” is another word for “hoarder.”
© Leni Mae Wiegand