Remembering Jes Sachse: A Trailblazing Canadian Artist, Advocate, and Voice for Disability Justice
The world has lost a radiant and revolutionary spirit with the passing of Jes Sachse, a celebrated Canadian artist, writer, and advocate whose fearless work reshaped the landscape of disability representation, queerness, and beauty. Jes passed away in Ontario, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to ripple through art, activism, and countless lives touched by their courage, creativity, and clarity of vision.
A Voice That Shattered Silence
Jes Sachse was more than an artist — they were a force of cultural change. Living with a disability and identifying as queer, Jes refused to allow the world’s narrow definitions to dictate their existence. Instead, they challenged and redefined them through their multidisciplinary body of work, which spanned performance art, writing, photography, public installations, and curation.
Jes first gained national and international attention with the 2011 photo series The Courage Project, produced in collaboration with photographer Holly Norris. The striking images showed Jes confidently posing in lingerie — a bold counter-narrative to conventional beauty standards and a powerful statement on visibility and agency for people with disabilities.
But Jes’s contributions went far beyond aesthetics. They insisted that the politics of the body, of access, of autonomy, and of celebration were deeply interconnected. With unflinching honesty and poetic resonance, Jes’s work invited audiences to reckon with discomfort, complicity, and the urgent need for equity.
Art as Activism, Language as Liberation
Jes often described their work as an “aesthetic of access.” Whether performing in a gallery or publishing essays, they infused each gesture with thoughtfulness and resistance. Their 2018 performance piece Asking For It at Tangled Art + Disability in Toronto explored consent, trauma, and the complications of being simultaneously visible and unseen.
Jes also brought a sharp, lyrical voice to their writing, which appeared in major publications and zines alike. They wrote about disability, body politics, gender, and survival in a voice that was both deeply personal and fiercely political. Their words were not only acts of self-expression — they were lifelines for others navigating similar marginalizations.
In every medium, Jes created with a rare combination of vulnerability and strength. Their work was often deeply autobiographical, but it reached far beyond the personal, building a collective space for questioning, healing, and imagining new futures.
A Champion for Community
Jes was not only an artist but a connector, mentor, and community-builder. They collaborated with countless artists and organizations, including Tangled Art + Disability, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and Bodies in Translation, fostering a rich dialogue across art and activism.
Colleagues and friends describe Jes as generous, hilarious, and endlessly supportive — someone who showed up for others and held space with grace and brilliance. They championed the work of others, particularly marginalized artists, and used their platform to amplify voices and perspectives often excluded from mainstream discourse.
Jes also advocated for accessibility not as an afterthought but as a foundation of cultural creation. They challenged institutions to do better — not only in physical access but in representation, respect, and inclusion.
A Profound Loss, A Lasting Legacy
Jes Sachse’s death is an immeasurable loss to the arts, the disability justice movement, and everyone who believes in the transformative power of storytelling. They were a visionary who carved out space where there was none, illuminating paths for others to follow.
Their legacy lives on in their powerful body of work, in the conversations they sparked, and in the hearts of those who found truth and liberation in their presence. Jes’s impact will continue to inspire generations of artists, thinkers, and activists who believe in the beauty of difference and the necessity of justice.
In a world that often seeks to diminish or erase what it cannot define, Jes Sachse stood defiantly — radiant, unapologetic, and alive with possibility.
They will be remembered. They will be missed. And they will never be forgotten.