Building A Home

As a queer man I didn’t have the opportunity of an older generation to guide and mentor me due to the impact of the AIDS epidemic. I grew up without a template of what it looks like to get older, have a relationship and build a home as a queer person. As I search my own Slavic ancestry for hints and clues of queerness, none are found either.
Within my research in pre-Christian Slavic histories, I focus on how the art of embroidery was passed down through lineages. Women would stitch specific talismans into cloth to spiritually access their magic. The *meandering line* in Slavic embroidery is used to provide powerful protection against negative forces; evil that may attempt to harm someone will get trapped forever in the complex circuit of stitchwork.
Building a Home reconnects the artist to erased histories by engaging in making an exaggerated rug for his future home with his lover. The artist collaborates with anonymous past histories using cut up second-hand clothes. The piece itself was created together with the artist’s lover, weaving their spiritual queer magic into the pattern to protect them from future harm while they navigate getting older leaving traces of evidence behind.

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"The artist has created a rich palimpsest weaving together ideas and materials (many recycled) to embrace this theme. The concept of home is complex, and multifaceted, built upon connections to the past and hopes for the future. Just as the 'meandering line' in Slavic embroidery patterns suggests protection, a rug created with love and one's companion would suggest creating some magic, comfort and warmth to a home and future together." -Regan Rasmussen (Artist/Curator)