Jes passed away in Ontario, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to ripple through art, activism, and the lives of countless individuals who were touched by their courage, creativity, and clarity of vision. Their passing marks not just the loss of a person, but the quiet extinguishing of a light that had illuminated corners of society often left in shadow.

Jes Sachse was a force—a body in motion and emotion—who dared to exist unapologetically in a world not built for them. Living with a visible disability and identifying as queer and non-binary, Jes used their very existence as a site of resistance and radical visibility. They challenged traditional aesthetics and rigid norms around beauty, sexuality, and worth, asserting that disabled and queer bodies are not only worthy of space but are central to the evolution of culture and community.

Their body of work spanned performance, photography, sculpture, installation, writing, and public art. Whether standing tall in front of a camera lens or crafting deeply personal essays that spoke truth to power, Jes embodied what it meant to live artfully and authentically. Their 2011 art piece “Public Living Room” in Toronto—where they physically occupied public space to confront viewers’ expectations—epitomized their approach: tender yet provocative, personal yet political.

Jes’s work was often rooted in disruption—disrupting ableist frameworks, gender binaries, and the sanitization of narratives around bodies that are rarely afforded full humanity. They centered joy and sensuality as political acts. With vulnerability as their strength, Jes invited us all to sit with discomfort, to unlearn, and to rebuild more just ways of seeing and being.

Beyond their own creations, Jes mentored, inspired, and collaborated with artists and activists across Canada and beyond. They were a community-builder, someone who showed up—physically and emotionally—for others. Their voice, which rang out with clarity in panels, performances, and written work, always carried an undercurrent of fierce love for those still fighting for visibility, justice, and rest.

Jes’s contributions were recognized not just through gallery walls or magazine pages, but through the deep impact they had on individuals who saw themselves reflected in Jes’s courage. For many, encountering Jes’s work was the first time they felt truly seen. Jes didn’t just represent—they redefined.

In a world that so often seeks to erase, Jes insisted on presence.

Their passing is a profound loss to the arts, to activism, and to every space that benefitted from their defiant softness and strategic brilliance. But Jes’s spirit—bold, luminous, and ever-questioning—remains woven into the fabric of every conversation they’ve shifted, every institution they held accountable, and every person they empowered.

To mourn Jes is to remember the magnitude of their offering. And to remember Jes is to carry forward the torch they lit: of challenging exclusion, of embracing radical tenderness, and of dreaming and building worlds where all bodies can thrive.

Rest in power, Jes Sachse. Your vision remains a north star for all who believe in beauty that liberates.

Wo