During this exceptionally solitary time, there is a particularly strong yearning to connect. We might notice an amplified desire on the part of the viewer to enter these unique worlds, and perhaps even take up residence. Through the sharing of intimacies, a simultaneously vulnerable and empowering endeavor, the hope remains that art will continue to lead the way in expanding our points of view.
Anne Buckwalter, interested in gender roles and inequalities, references female sexuality in her paintings of interiors which are informed by her Pennsylvanian Dutch Heritage. Clarity Haynes paints revealing nude torsos of women, trans, and gender non-conforming people as well as collections of personal, often handmade, objects in the form of alters. Oscar yi Hou portrays tender and introspective depictions of himself and those he is close to. Doron Langberg renders images of friends, family, and lovers, with a focus on quiet, daily interactions in queer relationships. Bailey Scieszka shares with us her alter ego, Old Put, who is influenced by mass culture and society at large.