Bryn Berry’s Artist Statement:

“Tiny But Life Changing is named after a comment one of my friends made on the first day I started taking testosterone. The bottle I picked up from the pharmacy was so small that that was all I could think about, and when she made that comment I started thinking about how much it would help me. This piece relates to my journey with physically transitioning and is meant to show people how one small thing can completely change a person’s life and hopefully have them reflect on their own experiences to consider what really small thing changed theirs. As trans people are consistently demonized in our culture, I feel it is very important for me to put my identity on the front lines in my art and normalize the existence of trans people and our experiences.”

 

Caliyah Parker’s Analysis:

In his statement for Tiny But Life Changing, artist Bryn Berry discusses the themes of transitioning physically and access to hormones, specifically testosterone. Though presented in a small bottle, the significance and meaning of having access to testosterone could not be understated. In contrast with the incredible importance of the actual contents of testosterone, the image depicted in Tiny But Life Changing is incredibly small and only takes a minimal amount of the paper it is printed on. Like the actual inspiration for the piece, the print emphasizes the juxtaposition between an object’s content and its size. Though Bryn’s etching is relatively small, it’s content and symbolism imply a larger conversation about the impact of hormone access for trans people. Something tiny in size can quite literally alter and ripple through every aspect of someone’s life. No matter how seemingly insignificant or unassuming, the tiny bottle of testosterone depicted in Bryn’s tiny etching represents a momentous occasion in someone’s life.