Caity Fares
| Caity Fares |
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| Kathy with a childhood photo, from the series , “Queer/Catholic,” 2013 |
| Artist Statement Catholicism and Queerness, despite common attempts at separation, are both wrapped around similar themes of suffering, pleasure, and embodiment. However, these sorts of conversations have been halted by the Catholic Church’s claims that homosexual actions are a sin. Declarations like this have cast deeply painful shadows over LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) communities around the world, and have painted non-heteronormative identities as dangerous and shameful. To personify this current situation, I use photography and collaborative oral interviews to investigate LGBTQ experiences under the influence of Catholicism in contemporary America. I am invested in the ways in which 21st century society perceives and represents queer-identified people, and how struggles for inclusion have, in turn, shaped Catholicism.Working with Dignity, (a nationwide Catholic group for LGBTQ people), the San Diego Lambda Archives, and the San Francisco GLBT Archives has allowed me to weave together the significance of community activism and historical experience that act as building blocks for a richer understanding of contemporary conditions. My insider perspective growing up as Catholic and Queer situates me in a place of compassionate understanding with the people photographed. |
