Queered | January 1 - 24, 2027

The Queer Body works by Gregory Climer, Emilie Dashe, Jun Yang and Joseph Abbati.

Rather than presenting the LGBTQ+ body purely as a celebration, these artists broaden the perspective on the queer body to advocate for a more comprehensive definition of queerness.

Gregory Climer uses the hypermasculine bodies of gay porn stars and athletes to challenge the association of quilting with "women's work" while embracing the maker's queerness and offering a softer depiction of the male form. Similarly, textiles play a central role in Jun Yang's portraits of men in vulnerable emotional states. Cut canvas figures painted with approachable personalities are sewn with decorative stitches and stuffed with fiber, inviting physical connection to comfort both the artist and the viewer.

While Emilie Dashe's and Joseph Abbati's headless figures might appear to strip their subjects of agency, both artists reclaim control over how the queer body is judged. Dashe's Boobelahs critique the objectification of the female form, with each curve, fold, and twist conveying power back toward the viewer. Meanwhile, Abbati's paintings of male torsos project into the viewer's space, complementing the representations seen in Yang's and Climer's works.

Images:

MAG Galleries, Queer cover image

MAG Galleries, Jun Yang, Soft Armor

MAG Galleries, Emilie Dashe, Boobelahs

MAG GalleriesGregory Climer, Bodybuilder