*MAY BE NSFW*Heather Cassils: the transgender bodybuilder who attacks heaps of clayNell Frizzell, October 3, 2013 08.41 EDT
Before interviewing Heather Cassils I get an email: "In terms of pronouns I prefer he but I'm okay with she. I prefer to be called Cassils but don't mind if people call me Heather. I state it because I know it is not obvious."
This is not only considerate but also a fantastic understatement. From the high, soft Canadian voice and sleek, cropped hair to the rippling abs and occasional slick of scarlet lipstick, Cassils' identity is resolutely ambiguous.
By playing with body art, gay male aesthetics and extreme physical training – from weightlifting to martial arts – the artist has adapted his own female body into a series of powerful physical shapes that challenge any notion of binary gender.
"I resist the idea that you have to live as a man or as a woman," Cassils explains. "I didn't know any queer people until my 20s, let alone have any language for a trans identity. I just remember wanting to present my body in a more male fashion. The crux of my work is to create something that isn't so black-and-white."
