"I just wanted to be some real hot man. Like, what would I look like as a hot dude?" the artist told AAP.
She has been thinking deeply about gender since giving birth to her son, now 16-months-old, by emergency Cesarean following a 30-hour labour.
Atong Atem poses as a man in her latest work. (Supplied by Mars/AAP PHOTOS)
"You start to question your indoctrination when you've had that experience," she said.
Atem has caught the attention of curators internationally: her portraits are currently on display at London's prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, and she was recently part of a show at the Tate Modern.
In Australia, her photographs can be seen at the National Gallery of Victoria's Africa Fashion exhibition, and her latest self-portraits are on display at the Sydney Contemporary art fair.
Alongside the new photographs at Sydney Contemporary are three Kitenge, east African textiles that feature repeating patterns and a central image and slogan.
These utilitarian fabrics are often used to promote political campaigns, and Atem has charted her own story using Kitenge design.
One Kitenge features the artist and her baby during the Cesarean section.
Even as a midwife took the picture, Atem knew she would use it to make art.
Underneath the image is a Swahili quote that Atem remembers from childhood, a darker part of her reflections on gender.
"It's essentially a part of the Bible that talks about how God designed women to experience pain during labour - that is our punishment and we should be grateful for it," she said.
Melbourne-based Atem was born in Ethiopia and her family migrated to Australia after escaping civil war in South Sudan.
Another of her Kitenge prints features former Prime Minister John Howard surrounded by a pattern of life savers, referencing her own migration in 1997 and acknowledging people who died trying to make it to Australia during his government's crackdown on immigration.
While Atem has far less time for her meticulous studio work these days, she says at least the life of an artist is flexible.
"I don't take it lightly if I have this as my world, I think it's really special," said Atem.
"My baby gets to grow up with a mum who makes colourful things for a living."
Sydney Contemporary ends Sunday.
AAP travelled with the assistance of organisers.
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