Zeph Fishlyn
| Zeph Fishlyn |
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| Those We Glimpse Through the Crack – Installation. Dimensions: 5′ w x 6′ deep x 8′ high |
| Artist Statement We all want to feel like we come from somewhere. But for many of us, coming out as queer casts us out from our own “official” family stories and leaves us searching for ancestors–for that larger web from which we draw strength and context.For every famous historical queer, there are thousands more who lived un-famous, half-glimpsed, or closeted lives, under many different names. Their stories trickle down through the generations in scandalized whispers, in coded euphemisms, in clues gleaned from letters and photographs, in sudden revelations at family gatherings. “Oh, we all knew that about him….” The most private queer lives may only be remembered as a guess, or a careful silence. When we have no clues, we invent them.As we work to create safety and community for contemporary queer and trans folks, “Those We Glimpse Through the Cracks is an attempt to extend that bubble of love and solidarity to those who came before. It is a gathering of fragments to hold all of our ancestors close–whether they struggled at the edges, or led defiantly unapologetic queer lives. It is a spell to heal the root, so that we the children can thrive. |
