Forebear

Forebear reflects Van Gele’s confrontation with the erasure of queer and trans ancestry. Genealogical language, bound by binary categories, leaves no space for gender non‑conformity — yet statistically, descent from people with non‑standard experiences of gender is inevitable. Van Gele holds onto this certainty as evidence that quiet, unassuming trans lives have always existed. By portraying a first‑century Roman bust of indeterminate gender, she projects queerness onto a face forgotten by time, fabricating an honored ancestor where memory has failed.

Photography © Tomas Bachot