Robert Hamblin (1969) is an artist, father and a gender activist. His fine art work is concerned with issues of masculinity and transgender activism. A narrative that he continues to explore is that of the complexities around sex work in South Africa, in particular trans femme sex work. Since 2011, he has been producing series of photographic works and advocacy tools with Leigh Davids, trans sex work activist of The Sistaaz Hood support group at sex work rights organisation, SWEAT.
His commitment to these subjects was invoked in a time when he transitioned from female to male and was a founder member of trans rights organisation Gender DynamiX. He soon left organisational work, frustrated with its processes and opted to rather do outreach to trans sex work communities as a volunteer and continue his fine art work.
Hamblin’s conceptually driven, painterly photographic works contribute to debates around body politics in a post-apartheid era and has been exhibited locally and internationally to critical acclaim. Lizamore and Associates in Johannesburg represent Hamblin.
He lives in Muizenberg, Cape Town with his partner Sally-Jean Shackleton and their daughter, Georgia Asemahle.
He is a contributing author to the Life Righting Collective’s anthology, This is how it is.