Xelestial Moreno-Luz | Asserting company in transgender visible tradition
“I have so many negatives to scan still,” says Xelestial Moreno-Luz, a visible arts MFA pupil, as she flips via dozens of contact sheets.
As a photographer and filmmaker, Moreno-Luz travels steadily to doc the artwork and cultural actions of trans/travesti communities in Latin America. While “travesti” is usually translated as “transgender woman,” in Latin America the time period denotes a definite political id tied to actions resisting state violence and advocating for trans and gender-diverse rights.
Through her photos, Moreno-Luz seeks to reframe how transgender communities are portrayed and how their data is reproduced. One space of focus consists of members of the House and Ballroom scene, an LGBTQ+ subculture in Mexico City the place individuals type chosen households referred to as homes. Within these homes, members obtain mentorship, efficiency coaching, safety from violence and emotional help.
Also a filmmaker, Moreno-Luz is producing a movie about Natalia Lane, a Mexican trans activist and intercourse employee who survived a violent assault in 2022 broadly reported as an tried transfemicide. As a precursor to this work, Moreno-Luz created a brief movie about Lane titled “No estás solas,” which was awarded first place within the documentary class on the 2025 UC San Diego Film Festival.
“My ultimate goal is to expand the way artists and cultural workers within trans travesti communities are seen in visual culture,” Moreno-Luz stated. (*5*)