BFA Thesis
Grunwald Gallery of Art, April 2018

MANHOOD depicts an internal struggle to reconcile the conflict between Christianity and homosexuality within the self. The photographs in this series depict a search for common ground between these seemingly incompatible cultures. Light, gesture, and pose combine to express the frustration, discomfort, and desire for absolution that affect christians who are also gay.

Spiritual conflicts born from a desire for perspective are dramatized in the white images. These are conversations with both the self and with god, which can be either self-deprecating or divinely consoling.

Fear of judgement and ridicule inform the red photographs. These express the struggle and determination to reconcile opposing forces within oneself. Despite the severity of the photographs, a sense of resilience remains to remind that this struggle is not in vain.