This project has been supported by the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, OVAC Grants Program, and Connecticut Artist Fellowship Grant. photos: shelby head
Am I that Name? explores the complex and fluid nature of gender and identity in an often discriminatory, binary world. This work is a researched-based visual diary into Queer theory and self/selves. The collection challenges the normative hierarchical power structure of gender and sexuality through pictogram-inspired figurative constructions and the queer use of everyday materials and objects such as industrial equipment, hardware, stage sets, and decorative wallpaper. Sculpture, found objects, videos, and works on paper move with the subject of Queer, personal identity and emotion. The series aims to educate rather than define by proposing new ways of thinking about sex, gender, and social constructs. The series offers a broader understanding that Queer is a fundamental part of being.