installation details
April 2025
University of Arkansas
Having recently returned to my hometown in Arkansas to pursue an MFA, I have encountered institutional resistance from university administration regarding the exhibition of my work, which centers on representations of nude queer figures. In the fall of 2024, the University of Arkansas invoked a state law that criminalizes the distribution of pornography to minors—defining “sexual conduct” to include all forms of nudity and homosexuality. Under the pretext of this law, the university abruptly revised its display policy and required me to relocate the final piece of my first semester away from public view.
This act of censorship has forced me to critically reassess how I navigate my artistic practice within the constraints of discriminatory legislation and a non-supportive institutional environment. In response, I have adopted an ethos of whimsy as a deliberate strategy—mobilizing joy as a subversive and generative force to resist efforts to marginalize or render my work invisible. My current practice investigates tensions between public and private spheres, the layered aesthetics and politics of camp, and the possibilities of working both within and against institutional frameworks.