Transgressions of Public Space
"Who gets to occupy space? "
These works bring to life imagined public spaces that are occupied with non-human forms, each reminiscent of the human form, polyps, coral, fungi, and other familiar ecologies. The underpinning of this work is to ask: "who gets to occupy space?". It is an exploration of how trauma effects how we move through the world, how queer bodies experience public spaces, and how they may thrive by occupying their bodies and the spaces around them.
The bodily forms in these works are erupting with sensuality and life-force, they overwhelm the landscape in their stance. The statues cannot be overlooked or intimated into hiding, they exist and occupy as much space as necessary to thrive, while making space for visitors and protecting themselves from dominant cultures, a safe haven, a dream space for the outsiders, the weirdos, and the misfits.
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This project was conceptualised during the 2022 summer residency at Space Studio Baroda.