Paul and Trisha: The Art of Fluidity

Fia Perera
2024-06-01

One man - one woman artist
0
75 min

A colorful documentary exploring the lives of two 77-year-old British artists living in one gender-fluid body: Paul Whitehead and Trisha Van Cleef. Paul Whitehead is a painter, graphic designer, writer, and musician who worked as an art director for Time Out and John Lennon; founded the Eyes and Ears Foundation and its Artboard Festival, which allowed artists to showcase their work on billboards; and made album covers for music icons like Genesis, Credence Clearwater Revival, Van der Graaf Generator, and Peter Hammill. Whitehead began exploring his gender identity through cross-dressing during the 1960s, leading to the emergence of the converged artist Trisha Van Cleef in 2004. The film delves into the brutal challenges and beautiful victories that Paul and Trisha have faced—together and individually—in the mercurial and competitive art world while unapologetically navigating the uncharted waters of gender identity and artistic expression, breaking down perilous stigmas along the way.