Desecration: A Process

August 10, 2023 - September 2, 2023

AUTOMAT Collective, Philadelphia, PA

Desecration: A Process mimics the field of archaeology in three parts: the Research Phase, Excavation Site and Artifact Collection. This series parallels two kinds of desecration in the erasure and disposal of queer life and history and government funded grave robbing in North Africa. Egyptomania is the extreme fascination with Egyptian culture, myth and mystery. Egyptomania became prominent in America and Europe in the 19th century and is evident today. It was spawned by the European funded disruption and desecration of Egyptian burial sites. LGBTQ+ stories are historically undervalued, not well documented, and documentation efforts are underfunded. A common narrative of how queer records found a home in an archive is that they were scavenged from dumpsters because of how  biological family members wanted to hide their histories. The work contrasts the disregard for LGBTQ+ stories and hunger for Ancient Egyptian secrets. The exhibition puts the viewer in the role of a researcher as they explore each stage. 

Series I: The Research Phase

The Research Phase consists of several binders of documents, photographs and writing related to the mysteries of Egypt, the urge to have access to the past, queer revolution and social organizing through the lens of the artist’s life. The idea is that the information here leads to explorations of the excavation site. The sculptures pose the question of whether or not the viewer should have access to these stories or narratives. 

Series II: The Excavation Site

The Excavation Site is an interactive sandpit with sand from the Jersey Shore, specifically the artist’s hometown. The guests are provided with tools such as handheld shovels, sieves, and brushes and are encouraged to dig for artifacts. The artifacts are art objects that signify queerness. 

Series III: The Artifact Collection

The Artifact Collection is a series of canopic jars and a life size sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is made of plaster casts of the artist’s body, wood and fabric. The casts of the artist body remain as negatives mirroring the theft of human remains. The canopic jars showcase the four sons of Horus, protectors of the deceased. In the context of the exhibition, the artist imagines them as protectors of lost queer people and their histories.