Meeting Time in Art and Gender

Last weekend I was in Toronto for the Nuit Blanche. This event spans an entire night (7 pm to 7 am), during which you can visit a multitude of art events, installations, performances, and shows, all linked by the year's central theme (this year, “reading the city through art”). My dear and brilliant friend Renata Moreira was one of the curators. As she is a queer art curator, I was certain that her work would have some impact on my dissertation, but I was not expecting it to be so closely linked to the chapter I am writing right now (this one, actually). You could call it luck, synchronicity, coincidence… I prefer to call it Magik. That night, Renata introduced me to Sy Gomes[1] ‘work, and (for my fortune) also to the artist, present during Nuit Blanche.

Gomes, S. (2025). [2] Picture from the author’s archive.

During our conversation, I could explain a bit about this chapter’s content, and Sy was generous enough to take some time to discuss her understanding of time and her motivations, and even to provide me with a reading reference, which I used for this topic. The artist linked time and gender in a way that offers an alternative perspective on time, helping to better understand and aid populations at risk.

She pointed out that the expectation of life in Brazil is 76 years on average, but trans people in Brazil have their life expectancy cut by less than this number; today, on average, Brazilian trans people live around 35 years. It is also essential to remember that Brazil is the country that kills trans people the most in the world and has been keeping the number one position for 16 years now[3]. These data give you the impression that it is impossible to live in Brazil as a trans person or that it is impossible to bloom, be happy, and fight for an improvement in life quality for this population and any other endangered populations. Well, Sy agrees it is tough, but she offers some insights into how it is necessary to “bewitch the time around us” (Gomes, 2025) to escape death, both biologically and symbolically.

Because of the significance of our chat that night, I will bring her back to help me reflect on time. Still, for now, it is vital to highlight the fabulous experience of knowing the artist who impacts me and how transformative a 25-minute conversation can be during the writing process. This kind of cognitive shift occurred several times during the last year of my PhD journey, and the brief journals I inserted throughout my dissertation give you (the reader) a sense of it. They are also there to inspire you to be open to any experience during your research, as you never know who the next wonderful person will be who comes your way and changes your research forever.

[1] You can learn more about the artist here: https://sygomes.com.br/ 

[2] Gomes, S.(2025). See me from a distance:

travestis billboards. Nuit Blanche 2025, Toronto, ON, Canada. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8M42_tLh90&t=3s ; https://hubportodragao.cultura.ce.gov.br/artista-cearense-sy-gomes-expoe-outdoors-reinventados-na-nuit-blanche-toronto-um-dos-principais-festivais-de-arte-publica-da-america-do-norte/

[3] https://antrabrasil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/dossie-antra-2025.pdf