UNDERSTANDING ME

The queer experience is different for every individual, yet those experiences often ripple outward, shaping and touching the people closest to them. Understanding Me is a photo and video series created in 2021 that explores the thoughts, emotions, vulnerabilities, and lived realities of the LGBTQ+ community. The photographic works are printed on PVC and embedded with neon light, transforming each portrait into a luminous, physical presence. The accompanying videos move through each participant’s personal story, centering their relationship to gender identity and self-understanding in their own words. Together, the project exists as a bridge between people—an invitation to empathy, connection, and deeper understanding.

The works were presented as a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Long Island in New York, where Lex Barberio received a county proclamation recognizing the impact and significance of the series.