Oli Rodriguez, La Manicure, 2015
Precariat features artists whose interdisciplinary practices produce work in response to identity, social issues, and activism.The spectrum of how closely the artist’s queer identity informs their practice varies, but each individual confronts socially constructed ideals within their work. These artists break European ideals of beauty, reclaim masculine identified materials through feminized craft, expose how the greed of a few ruins the lives of many, and actively challenge the gaze of the audience to consider what it means to live with a multifaceted identity. Featuring work by Angela Davis Fegan , Betsy Odom , Oli Rodriguez , Anna Showers-Cruser , Leonard Suryajaya , Ruby Thorkelson and Derrick Woods-Morrow , Precariat asks how we can fruitfully gather in the face of an uncertain future as bodies susceptible to daily violence, brought on by unwarranted fear and rooted in historic bias.
In her most recent book Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly, Judith Butler examines the idea of precarity as an idea that can produce potential alliances among those who do not recognize that they belong to one another, as it is a social and economic condition, not just an identity. Inspired by Butler, the exhibition will also host a series of programs that will expand upon themes within the show and present opportunities to dialogue on difficult issues. Having these opportunities for reflection on histories/herstories can help form stronger creative alliances to move our bodies forward together. Through these public programs it is possible to learn, listen and explore how we might “belong to one another.”
About the Curator
Ariel Gentalen is a Chicago-based curator, writer, and educator interested in socially engaged art practices and interrogating art history through feminist and queer lenses. They are currently the Residency Coordinator at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Events Manager at Third Coast International Audio Festival. They received their Bachelor’s of Arts in Art History and Women’s Studies from California State University, Fullerton and their Masters of Arts in Arts Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.