Exhibition Review: Z-Coded: Painting While Trans and Incarcerated at Dyke+ ArtHaus

by Natalie Manes, Arts Committee Member

Z-Coded: Painting While Trans and Incarcerated, on view until May 11th at the Dyke+ ArtHaus, features the bold, emotionally-charged work of Kal-El Carey, a Black trans man currently incarcerated in a Pennsylvania women’s state prison. Carey, whose work is full of vibrant colors mixed with symbolic figures, describes his style as “Urban Abstract Surrealism.” Carey has been fighting the PA Department of Corrections for trans rights and trans healthcare for years. All of Carey’s work was made while incarcerated, serving as a way to cope and process life inside the prison. As Carey puts it, his purpose with his art is “to show that different is also beautiful.” 

Z-coding refers to a classification used by the Department of Corrections to indicate an inmate that must be celled alone—often on the perceived basis of mental health and safety reasons. While a private cell can offer some protection, the label is often misused and is disproportionately applied to trans people. For many, including Carey, the Z code becomes a form of enforced isolation. Carey himself describes the Z-code status as an oppressive mechanism to silence people that the system doesn't deem as “normal.” Through Carey’s paintings, the exhibition draws attention to how the prison system treats trans individuals: with neglect, suspicion, and a failure to recognize their identities.

In light of the recent political climate regarding trans individuals, especially trans individuals within the prison system, this exhibition comes at an important time. Individuals in the prison system already have to fight to be seen as people, and it’s an even greater fight for trans individuals. The carceral state disproportionately targets trans people, subjecting them to violence, isolation, and erasure, which makes Carey’s work all the more vital—it not only asserts his humanity in the face of systematic dehumanization, but also demands visibility for the countless trans individuals whose voices and experiences remain unheard behind prison walls. 

At the opening for Z-Coded, a panel discussed the realities of being trans in prison. They shared personal stories, and explained the challenges of accessing hormones and gender-affirming care. The discussion evolved into a powerful exchange of knowledge on issues like healthcare, political knowledge, and survival within the prison system. The panel also included statements from people currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania, like Dominc Barber, who shared one of the most powerful ways for those on the outside to support those inside the system: “support us by saying our names out loud. Talk to people about us, remember us.”

When meeting with Juno Rosenhaus, who runs the Dyke+ ArtHaus, and Carolyn Harper, who first started mail correspondence with Carey, our conversation centered on resistance—not through spectacle, but through action, community, visibility, and the sharing of information. Z-Coded provides important and accessible information to the public regarding trans issues. Building community and centering the voices of people whom the system works hardest to make disappear is an active form of resistance. Trans liberation from the carceral state is possible. 

The closing reception for Z-Coded: Painting While Trans and Incarcerated will be on Saturday, May 10th, 5-7 pm, with readings of statements by trans women incarcerated in different PA prisons at approximately 6 pm by Sonja Dahl from the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration.

Exhibition ReviewGuest UserDyke+ ArtHaus, Natalie Manes, Trans, Kal-El Carey