BOOK ARTS

My work invites reflection and interiority, often denied to men, socially conditioned as stoic and restrained. The intimacy of the book and box forms provide a repository for those repressed feelings and emotions. The tactile and playful forms invite engagement and discovery. Reimagining weight plates and dumbbells as delicate ceramic or plaster forms provides a visual connection but also positions these as stand-ins for idealized bodies, strength, signifiers of weight in many different forms. The box’s dividers and trays work as partitions and layers that serve to compartmentalize, reflecting socially sanctioned masculine strategies.  While Queer erasure is being brought to bear on society through sweeping attempts to remove markers, records, and deny the existence of queer people, the objects I am making serve as lasting memorials and mini-archivesof the hidden histories of queer people and gay men that run parallel to our understanding of men and masculinity.