April, 2026
Details
Oil paint, Canvas, Italian silk, Screen print and Wire.
Oil paint, Canvas, Italian silk, Screen print and Wire.
Artists Statement
In my work “Circles” around) I am interested in investigating the way that communities rebuild and the feeling of the magical collective human spirit. Inspired by the 16th century Armillary Sphere at the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy, I have used the same circling shapes that represent the universe and stars to represent the community of queer men who were sent to the island of San Domino from 1938-1941. Arrested for their homosexuality, they were exiled from Italy. Together, they built a new life as a community, yet were subsequently ripped away from it when the island was repurposed in 1940. As a queer artist with an interest in sexuality, body, movement, and dance—this story of prevalence through discrimination in Italy adds to my body of work with my newfound international perspective gained during my time abroad.
This work is influenced by the incredible work L’isola degli arrusi (2021-2024) by Luana Rigolli, who sourced the arrest images of the men, and The Red Tree (2018), a film by Paul Rowley and De Santis which told the story from a fictional perspective.
I have specifically drawn on inspiration from my dance background, making a physical sculpture absolutely necessary to feel the movement of this historical community. Within the sculpture, the choice of Italian silk is not only a symbol of beauty, but a subtle nod to the project’s literal and conceptual geographical location. I have sewn and crafted the sphere, screenprinting the faces of the arrested men as an act of rebuilding their community to honor it and to hold it in a contemporary space—a reminder that as people we are constantly rebuilding our circles of life. The sculpture acts as a source of movement to guide my brushwork, and the painting as a translation of how encompassing, horrific, and yet beautiful it feels to engage and observe the everlasting circles of collective human strength and passion.
In my work “Circles” around) I am interested in investigating the way that communities rebuild and the feeling of the magical collective human spirit. Inspired by the 16th century Armillary Sphere at the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy, I have used the same circling shapes that represent the universe and stars to represent the community of queer men who were sent to the island of San Domino from 1938-1941. Arrested for their homosexuality, they were exiled from Italy. Together, they built a new life as a community, yet were subsequently ripped away from it when the island was repurposed in 1940. As a queer artist with an interest in sexuality, body, movement, and dance—this story of prevalence through discrimination in Italy adds to my body of work with my newfound international perspective gained during my time abroad.
This work is influenced by the incredible work L’isola degli arrusi (2021-2024) by Luana Rigolli, who sourced the arrest images of the men, and The Red Tree (2018), a film by Paul Rowley and De Santis which told the story from a fictional perspective.
I have specifically drawn on inspiration from my dance background, making a physical sculpture absolutely necessary to feel the movement of this historical community. Within the sculpture, the choice of Italian silk is not only a symbol of beauty, but a subtle nod to the project’s literal and conceptual geographical location. I have sewn and crafted the sphere, screenprinting the faces of the arrested men as an act of rebuilding their community to honor it and to hold it in a contemporary space—a reminder that as people we are constantly rebuilding our circles of life. The sculpture acts as a source of movement to guide my brushwork, and the painting as a translation of how encompassing, horrific, and yet beautiful it feels to engage and observe the everlasting circles of collective human strength and passion.