About the Exhibition
Trans Trans – Transatlantic Transgender Histories brings to light stunning, never-before published photographs and letters and explores a network of individuals in Germany and the United States who profoundly shaped transgender histories and identities from the turn of the twentieth century into the 1950s. Turning medical-scientific history on its head, the exhibition documents the driving role that trans* individuals played in the development of medical concepts and treatments and in the fostering of supportive communities for those seeking affirmation of their gender identities. The exhibition reconstructs personal connections that unfolded across the Atlantic, and it follows the ways in which photographs and other images were made by trans* individuals and that were sent to magazines or doctors for publication, creating communities and making visible their identities in public and private spheres.
The exhibition retraces the connections between these individuals, the medical and scientific authorities with whom they entered into dialogue, and the ways in which these dialogues became public or remained hidden away within archives.
Carlas Wohnzimmer, a documentary by filmmakers Sabrina Rücker and Brian Andrew Hose adds to the exhibition and shows interviews with trans* and non-binary persons and illustrates how gender identity has changed since the beginning of the 20th century.
Accompanying the exhibition, the monograph Others of My Kind - Transatlantic Transgender Histories (University of Calgary Press, 2020) is an illuminating exploration of the transatlantic, transgender community that shaped the history and study of gender identity, an exciting reconsideration of transgender history, negotiating the historical tensions between scientific expertise and trans self-presentation, visibility and passing, medical progress, and individual privacy. The book was selected by Choice in 2021 as an Outstanding Academic Title.
After the successful premiere of "TransTrans" at the Nickle Gallery at the University of Calgary in 2016, it was exhibited at the Schwules Museum Berlin in 2019. It is now shown at Amerikahaus in Munich.
The exhibition is a part of TransVision. In addition to "TransTrans", this series of events includes the exhibition "TransMünchen: Geschichte und Gegenwart Münchner Trans*Menschen" as well as a diverse range of event formats accompanying the exhibitions. Click here for more information on TransVision.
Photo: ©The Trustees of Indiana University on behalf of the Kinsey Institute
Trans*: The star behind the word trans has a simple meaning: it stands for the diversity of the people behind it and for the different life conceptions and self-definitions they formulate for themselves.
About the Curators
Alex Bakker is a freelance historian from the Netherlands. As a writer and curator, he specializes in transgender history. His work includes nonfiction literature, historical monographs, exhibitions, and documentaries.
Dr. Rainer Herrn holds a position at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Ethics in Medicine at the Charité Hospital Berlin, in addition to working with the Magnus Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft in Berlin. His research focuses on sexual and gender minorities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as well as the history of sexology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry. His current research projects focus on the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin (1919–1933) and the development of the classification of psychiatric diagnoses in Germany (1850–1933).
Michael Thomas Taylor works in Berlin primarily as a translator and editor - in addition to teaching at Bard Berlin. From 2007 to 2012, he taught at the University of Calgary as assistant professor of German, and from 2012 to 2017 as assistant, then associate professor of German and humanities at Reed College. Significant scholarly translations include History, Space, and Place by Susanne Rau (Routledge, 2019), Uexküll’s Surroundings by Florian Sprenger and Gottfried Schnödl (forthcoming), and Making an Entrance: Appearing on Stage from Racine to Nietzsche by Juliane Vogel (forthcoming), in addition to other research. Recent translations of trade publications include The Essence of Berlin-Tegel: Taking Stock of an Airport’s Architecture (Jovis, 2020).
Annette F. Timm is Professor of German and European history at the University of Calgary, Canada, and the former editor of the Journal of the History of Sexuality. Her publications include The Politics of Fertility in Twentieth-Century Berlin (Cambridge UP, 2010), Gender, Sex, and the Shaping of Modern Europe: A History from the French Revolution to the Present Day (co-authored with Joshua Sanborn, 3rd edition, Bloomsbury, 2022), and various articles and book chapters about the history of German population policy, the Holocaust, and sport in the Cold War.
Exhibition designer
Andreas Puskeiler is a Berlin-based visual designer working mainly in digital interfaces and UX, having held lead creative positions at companies and agencies in Germany, Canada, and the United States.
Exhibition Poster
Poster for the exhibition "TransTrans"
Amerikahaus Munich
Admission
Admission is free.
Exhibition Duration
Friday, April 1, 2022, until Sunday, July 31, 2022.
Opening Hours (according to current Corona regulations of the Free State of Bavaria)
Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The exhibition is closed on public holidays.
Please note that the exhibition will be closed all day on July 22, 2022.
Organizer
Supported By
Exhibition Location
Amerikahaus Munich
Karolinenplatz 3, 80333, Munich
Contact
Head of Programs – Culture and Politics
Email
raabe@amerikahaus.de
programm@amerikahaus.de
Telephone
+49 89 552537-14
Program Manager – Culture and Politics
Email
mueller@amerikahaus.de
programm@amerikahaus.de
Telephone
+49 89 552537-13