Xelestial Moreno-Luz: Reframing Transgender Visual Culture Through Photography and Film

Xelestial Moreno-Luz, a multidisciplinary artist and MFA student in Visual Arts at UC San Diego, is dedicated to documenting and expanding the representation of transgender and travesti communities in Latin America. Her work challenges conventional portrayals, focusing on art, culture, and social movements within these communities.

Understanding Travesti Identity

Moreno-Luz’s work specifically engages with the term travesti, which, while sometimes translated as “transgender woman,” carries a distinct political weight in Latin America. It represents an identity tied to movements resisting state violence and advocating for the rights of trans and gender-diverse individuals.

Documenting Art and Cultural Movements

As a photographer and filmmaker, Moreno-Luz frequently travels throughout Latin America to document the art and cultural movements of travesti and transgender communities. She seeks to reframe how these communities are portrayed and how their knowledge is reproduced through her images.

The House and Ballroom Scene in Mexico City

A key area of focus in Moreno-Luz’s work is the House and Ballroom scene in Mexico City. This LGBTQ+ subculture provides a space where participants form chosen families, known as houses, offering mentorship, performance training, protection from violence, and emotional support.

Film Project on Natalia Lane

Moreno-Luz is currently producing a film about Natalia Lane, a Mexican trans activist and sex worker who survived a violent attack in 2022. This attack was widely reported as an attempted transfemicide. Prior to this, she created a short film about Lane titled “No estás solas” (“You are not alone”), which won first place in the documentary category at the 2025 UC San Diego Film Festival. Travesti Politics, a closing reception for her second year MFA, was held on January 9, 2026, at the UCSD Visual Arts Facility. More information about the event can be found here.

Expanding the Archive

“My ultimate goal is to expand the way artists and cultural workers within trans travesti communities are seen in visual culture,” Moreno-Luz stated. “I’m creating an archive — documenting art, culture and social movements.” Her work and curatorial projects, including her role as a curator at the Museo Trans Femenino in Mexico City (founded in 2025) with Rojo Genesis and Sofia Morenio, contribute to this expanding archive.

Borderlands Project

Moreno-Luz has too undertaken a project focused on the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically in Tijuana and Juárez. She aimed to change the narrative surrounding the transgender community in this region, capturing the experiences of individuals of different ages and at various stages of their lives. She noted the diversity of experiences within the trans community, highlighting that not all individuals are migrating and many are navigating different types of transitions. More details about this project can be found here.