photos by Dorothy Seaton by Kate Barry "EACH TIME THE WORD ‘ STRATEGY, AN ATTITUDE TIES AND New Thrills, Illicit Delights: The cultural for- mation of queer identity was a group exhibition that took place within the main concourse gallery of ECIAD from March 23 - April 1, 2000. The exhibition's theme, queer subjectivities, aimed to raise questions around the meanings of queer within contemporary cul- ture. There were eighteen artists who produced work for the show, most of whom | can not write about for practical reasons. The artists included Sonja Hebert, Kristen Hutchison, Michael Barrett, Dorothy Seaton, Diana Savage, Bernadine Fox, Kate Barry, Susan Reeves, Thirza Cuthand, Heidi Benefiel, Emma Howes, Jeff Gray, Bernadette Wycks, Jackson Krisp, Paul Murry, Hyade Gongura, Ki Wight and Rhys Trussler. The exhibition was curated by myself with the help of Randy Lee Cutler. This article will explore the work of one second year artist that took part within the exhibition, Dorothy Seaton. Seaton's piece entitled Hole speaks to the notion of queer through a sculptural installation. The sculpture engages the viewer with its grotesque surfaces and its visceral use of materials. In her artist's statement, Seaton discusses the Freudian notion of the abject, elaborated and theorized by Julia Kristeva, as that which one represses, rejects and makes silent. Dirt, refuse, bodily fluids and queer sex are some examples of the unacceptable, or the abject in soci- ety. The sculpture Hole addresses the marginalization of queer sexuality through the notion of the abject. the idea that queer sexuality is dirty and lesbian sexuality is unacceptable are views that Seaton faces as a queer artist. She is speaking to these ideas through the uses of specific materials that have abject qualities. Seaton’s piece is comprised of an old wooden chair with a cocoon-like object that hangs over it. The old chair has the appearance of a found object that has been manipulated with a chisel. The surface is marked with cuts. The piece is repulsive and attractive at the same time; the chair's seat has fat and wax with embedded hair in it and nails hammered into it, that makes it impos- UEER’ IS US A REFERENC EDIT Ef NEW SELF-UNDERSTANDING." -CHERRY SMITH EF O OTHER _IDENTI- sible for anyone to sit on it. The cocoon-like object hangs unnervingly above the nail embedded seat creating a ten- sion between the two objects. Through working with materials, such as a wood- en chair, wax, fat, nails leaves, string and latex, Seaton has made an object that sug- gests, at a visceral level, the repressed body, the hated lesbian and the unspeakable feminine. These materials bring forth the repulsion that some groups associate with lesbian and queer sexuality. Seaton asserts that she is questioning the abject; in fact, she is embracing it to create a powerful and insightful sculptur- ~ al work. For me, the artists that took part in the exhibi- tion, New Thrills, Illicit Delights, are validating, and mak- ing attractive, the term "queer," in the same sense that Seaton is reclaiming abject views of the female body. 7 «@ NY illicitclelights § é by Kate Barry "EACH TIME THE WORD STRATEGY, AN ATTITUDE TIES AND New Thrills, Iicit Delights: The cultural for- mation of queer identity was a group exhibition that took place within the main concourse gallery of ECIAD from March 23 - April 1, 2000. The exhibition's theme, queer subjectivities, aimed to raise questions around the meanings of queer within contemporary cul- tUTe. There were eighteen artists who produced work for the show, most of whom | can not write about for practical reasons. The artists included Sonja Hebert, Kristen Hutchison, Michael Barrett, Dorothy Seaton, Diana Savage, Bernadine Fox, Kate Barry, Susan Reeves, Thirza Cuthand, Heidi Benefiel, Emma Howes, Jeff Gray, Bernadette Wycks, Jackson Krisp, Paul Murry, Hyade Gongura, Ki Wight and Rhys Trusser. The exhibition was curated by myself with the help of Randy Lee Cutler. This article will explore the work of one second year artist that took part within the exhibition, Dorothy Seaton. Seaton's piece entitled Hole speaks to the notion ‘of queer through a sculptural installation. The sculpture ‘QUEER’ IS U engages the viewer with its grotesque surfaces and its visceral use of materials. In her artist's statement, Seaton discusses the Freudian notion of the abject, elaborated and theorized by Julia Kristeva, as that which one represses, rejects and makes silent. Dirt, refuse, bodily fluids and queer sex are some examples of the unacceptable, or the abject in soci- ety, The sculpture Hole addresses the marginalization of queer sexuality through the notion of the abject. the idea that queer sexuality is dirty and lesbian sexuality is unacceptable are views that Seaton faces as a queer artist. She is speaking to these ideas through the uses of specific materials that have abject qualities. Seaton’s piece is comprised of an old wooden chair with a cocoon-like object that hangs over it. The old chair has the appearance of a found object that has been ‘manipulated with a chisel. The surface is marked with cuts. The piece is repulsive and attractive at the same time; the chair’s seat has fat and wax with embedded hair in it and nails hammered into it, that makes it impos- U SED A REFERENCE T' NEW SELF-UNDERSTANDING." -CHERRY SMITH IT DEFINES A O OTHER _IDENTI- sible for anyone to sit on it. The cocoon-like object hangs unnervingly above the nail embedded seat creating a ten- sion between the two objects. Through working with materials, such asa wood- en chair, wax, fat, nails leaves, string and latex, Seaton has made an object that sug- gests, at a visceral level, the repressed body, the hated lesbian and the unspeakable feminine. these materials bring forth the repulsion that some groups associate with lesbian and queer sexuality. Seaton asserts that she is questioning the abject; in fact, she is ‘embracing it to create a powerful and insightful sculptur- al work. For me, the artists that took part in the exhibi- tion, New Thrills, Illicit Delights, are validating, and mak- ing attractive, the term "queer," in the same sense that Seaton is reclaiming abject views of the female body. te}