The Gift
“The Gift” depicts a scaled up women’s electric razor being revealed inside a gift box.
As a child going through female puberty, Travise recollects multiple gentle nudges from his family to start shaving. At some point, he thinks his parents asked his Nana to gift him a nonthreatening, beginner friendly razor. At the time, the reluctance had nothing to do with gender identity, but simply being a girl who does not want to shave. This piece acknowledges the care behind unwanted gifts, while feeling a disappointment of being unknown.
Like with many other works of his, Travise plays with the simultaneous interpretations of the viewer. The Gift also refers to am unwelcome initiation into womanhood, and what it means to give up to fit in as a young woman.