AUTONOMY
“All of who I am now lies on a continuum—I no longer operate to fulfill roles that were illusions to begin with.”
In this deeply personal and introspective performance, Chella Man shares their narrative of self-determination, grief, healing, and reclamation of one’s body through tattooing and explorations of their scars from the medical industrial complex. To Man, piercing their skin is an act of erosion, revealing what lies beneath the surface, both within the body and the broader societal constructs we navigate. The piece compiles revelations of liberation that have become their leading values in life. Shattering the constraints of binary thinking, the performance celebrates queer, disabled, and trans bodies. Autonomy lives as an embodied experience, a testament to resilience and adaptability. Through this work, Man explores the continuum of art, disability, gender, and race by adapting and navigating their body as a mutable canvas for profound self-expression.
CREDITS:
A huge thank you to all who have supported this piece behind the scenes: Jack Meister Lopez, Robin Ediger-Seto, Annie Wiegand, Andy Sowers, Mars Doutey, Alison Kopit, Taja Cheek, Constanza Armes-Cruz, Yolene Grant, Ana Beatriz, Jenna Weiss, Pati Herling and a special thank you to Liz Munsell for watching this piece grow up! Sculpture Fabrication by Manuela Benaim, Assistance by Sophia “Purp” Eberhardt, Lead mold fabricator by Sam Shawzin. Wig: Dee Tranny Bear
Performance Photographer: Annie Forrest
BTS Photographer (B&W Images): MaryV
BTS Videographer: Andrés Rangl