Term of Award
Spring 2018
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Art
Committee Chair
Jessica Burke
Committee Member 1
Julie McGuire
Committee Member 2
Kelly Boehmer
Abstract
My life has been dedicated to the relentless pursuit of masculinity throughout my transition from female to male. While originally focusing on the physical transition, my attention is now focused on the social aspects of transition. For me, this involved coming out, managing legal name/gender change paperwork, and understanding a newfound, cultural privilege. This is where I draw inspiration to create my work. My process and techniques are informed by Drag Kings and Queens as well as contemporary culture and art. After performing as a Drag King for a year I developed a sense of gender that differed from what I was taught as a female child. Because of this I started to reinterpret traditionally feminine crafts as a way to perform masculinity for the visual consumption of an audience. From that I took artists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Ai WeiWei as contemporary art influences. I have also referenced Drag Kings and Drag Queens as influences. With these inspirations in mind I have developed a body of work based on the concept of correlation between gender expression and adornment in addition to how these are influenced by contemporary culture.
Recommended Citation
Hooten, Kyle M. “Deconstructing Abject Complacency of Ascribed Gender.” Georgia Southern University, 2018.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
Yes
