Thomas Donald Jacobs
“I'm originally from the United States. I prefer to use the word Two Spirit, but there's a lot of misunderstanding around that term outside of Native American communities, so I usually call myself transmasc and queer. I'm an invertebrate enthusiast, Trekkie, and visual artist. And I'm in an ongoing battle to complete my doctoral dissertation on seventeenth-century diplomatic ceremonies and ceremonial.”
What inspires your work and what is your creative process?
“My work is inspired by various things. Sometimes it's a particular Cherokee story, or a more general, pan-Indian theme. Sometimes I'm inspired by a particular insect. In the past month, my inspiration has come from recent events concerning the transgender community. What I decide to work on tends to depend on the mood I'm in and how much time I think I'll need to complete the project. Some topics are heavier than others and some require a greater level of detail.”
What about arts (collage/illustration/bug boxes) as a medium speaks to you? How did you get your start in it?
“I enjoy linocut as a medium because the process of cutting away the excess on a block and watching the image emerge is one that I find very satisfying. I took it up during the pandemic. I just wanted to try something new, having spent many years as a painter. And it seemed to suit the flat, graphic style that I prefer. The bug boxes came about as a result of my insect hobby. I have a small zoo of about thirty or so different species of invertebrates, and eventually they die. I've never been comfortable just throwing their bodies into the trash because they're basically my pets. So I started making little taxidermy displays, which eventually morphed into the bug boxes. I think the transformation came about through my love of both the little chapels dotted around Flanders and historical curiosity cabinets. Creating little shrines just seemed appropriate somehow. And in turn, those led me to collages as a freer form of expression.”
Are there any recurring themes/issues you like to address within your work?
“The body, sexuality, and gender are subjects that I find myself returning to again and again. I think that's probably natural considering that I have so many contested identities as a mixed race, non-enrolled Indian, transmasculine and queer individual.”
Did you have any queer role models?
“I was born in 1979 and grew up in largely fundamentalist, conservative environments. By the time I was in a place to find queer role models, I think it was rather too late to benefit from them. I think it would be more accurate to say that there are queer individuals - largely historical - that I admire.”
