Biography

Ashton Blyth is a UK-based FtM transgender artist whose practice investigates the theme of identity, most recently conveying his themes through animations. With his work, he aims to cre-ate artworks that question the rules and restraints society lays out for us in regards to our per-sonal identity - in order to challenge and create new ways to represent the constant evolution of gender in society.


Artistic statement

Ashton Blyth’s practice investigates the theme of personal identity, most recently conveying his themes through animation. With his work, he aims to create artworks that challenge the rules and restraints society lays out for us in regard to our personal identity – in order to challenge and create new ways to represent the constant evolution of gender in society.
Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now depicts the childhood memory of Blyth trying on his father’s boxers at age eight, before leaving for Brownies still wearing them under his uniform. This memory is one of many that have contributed to Blyth understanding that his gender identity did not align with the sex he was assigned at birth, leading to the artist coming out as transgender at eighteen. The artist intends for this to be the first of many animations in a series titled Defining Moments of a Trans Experience, which will portray Blyth’s experiences pre and post transitioning from female to male that contribute to his continued understanding of the flu-idity of gender.
The animation consists of 728 unique cels, shot at a rate of 24 frames per second. It was hand-drawn using fine-liners and colouring pencils, using a live-action video for reference of the art-ist’s eight-year-old sister trying on a similar pair of boxers to that which he remembers. The au-dio accompanying the animation is from the live-action reference and features the voices of Blyth’s parents, bringing a personal reality to the animation of this intimate moment.