These Renaissance-Style Portraits Combat Misinformation About Black Trans People

One evening at the end of May, a crowd gathered at Christie’s, the famous auction house in London. The institution known for selling works by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet was holding a show of regal portraits painted in the Renaissance style. But the antiquated frames actually held modern portraits of a group typically misrepresented in media: the Black trans community. The subjects are five real Black trans activists depicted as if they lived in the 16th century. The artworks are inspired by a widely reported statistic that Black trans people have a life expectancy of just 35—which would put them on par with people living in the 1500s. These Brands Are Still Flying the Rainbow Flag for Pride Month In fact, that statistic comes from a 2015 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which found the average age of Black trans homicide victims in some parts of Latin America was between 30 and 35. The statistic has been frequently shared across social media and taken out of context as a blanket statement about the entire Black trans population around the world—fueling fear among the community and spreading misinformation. The "16th Century Life Expectancy" campaign, created by agency McCann London for the organization UK Black Pride, uses the striking portraits to combat misinformation and highlight discrimination faced by the Black trans community. Above all, it is a chance for Black trans people “to tell our story in our own words,” said Rico Jacob Chace, who features in one of the portraits. A 'heated' media environment A few years ago, McCann London creatives Ben Conway and Lauryn Raymond came up with the idea for "16th Century Life Expectancy" after learning how the media misreported the 35-year life expectancy statistic. The initiative was put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic but reignited recently when the agency partnered with UK Black Pride. The timing of the campaign hasn't changed its relevance: A 2020 report from press regulator the Independent Press Standards Organisation found a 400% increase in coverage of trans issues in U.K. newspapers over the past decade, with much of that content becoming “heated” and “strident.” The media is perpetuating inaccurate information and negative stereotypes about the trans community, Chace told Adweek: “There’s so much misinformation and clickbait articles that focus on issues like bathrooms rather than important subjects like healthcare inequalities. Many of the articles don’t even consult trans people.” The portraits feature five real trans activists. The inaccurate reporting around the 35-year life expectancy statistic highlights the importance of countering misinformation, Chace explained. “[The statistic] implies you don’t have a large future. It has a knock-on effect on people’s mental health,” he said. “Trans people want what everyone else has—community, family, a full life.” Crafting antiquity The 16th century portraits “put [trans people] on a pedestal for a wider audience,” said McCann London creative director James Crosby. “We wanted to use the portraits as a celebratory thing and make them heroic. We don’t want the audience to feel sorry for trans people.” McCann and UK Black Pride cast five prominent members of the community (four Black trans women and one Black trans man) as their subjects: Chace, a social entrepreneur, activist, and trustee and treasurer at LGBT+ Consortium; Talulah-Eve, the first trans model to be a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model; Amani Cosmo, a resident artist at the Tate Modern museum and collaborator of the Baxsan Collective; artist Ebun Sodipo; and singer and performer Mzz Kimberley. This Calvin Klein Homage Campaign Celebrates Transgender Men Each person chose a 16th century portrait to be superimposed into. The team photographed the cast in one day, with each subject requiring a different set-up to match the light and contrast of their respective portrait. The retouching process took two weeks to seamlessly blend the headshots into the old paintings. While the agency aimed for the pieces to look authentic to the era, they also ensured that they reflected the sitters’ personalities. The picture frames used were also antique, though most dated back to the 19th and early 20th centuries because McCann couldn’t source any from the 1500s. For his portrait, Chace chose to be superimposed into a painting of Alessandro de’ Medici, known as the Black Prince of Florence, who is likely the first man of color to serve as a head of state in Europe. The portraits feature five prominent members from the Black trans community “He fought through despite persecution. I resonated with that,” Chace said. Telling true stories Amid the flurry of campaigns around Pride month, "16th Century Life Expectancy" stands out because “it doesn’t look like a Pride campaign—it’s visually stunning and different,” said Aaron Carty, head of marketing for UK Black Pride. Crucially, “this was led by Black trans people. They are the ones contributing their time and lived experiences,” Carty pointed out. “As much as there is a massive conversation around [trans issues], very little is actually from the community.” This is the start of a long-running campaign for UK Black Pride, Carty added. "Visibility does matter," says Rico Jacob Chace, who features in one of the portraits. “The portraits and stories allow people to open up and learn more about the issues,” he explained. “We want to give people clear facts so they can form their own thoughts, instead of what’s usually seen in the media.” Since the launch at Christie’s, the 16th century portraits have also appeared on social media and as billboards across U.K. out-of-home sites donated by media companies Clear Channel and Uncle. UK Black Pride will exhibit the portraits at its Pride celebration in August. The artwork will live online at 16-Century.com, which shares the cast’s stories and facts about the trans community. The website also includes resources to lobby political representatives for improved rights to healthcare for trans people. Chace said he hopes the projects spark political action, conversations and “solidarity” with the trans community. “Visibility does matter. We stuck Black trans people in Christie’s and on billboards—that’s already a win,” he said. “This is not a moment, but a movement.”