THERE’S A DREAM I HAVE IN WHICH I LOVE THE WORLD
(ONGOING)

This body of work, There’s a dream I have in which I love the world, is concerned with communities that form out of marginal identities. Worlds coming together not completely outside of societal bounds, but on the edges. The images that make up this project depict mostly queer lives: sometimes raw, sometimes beautiful, always occupying a liminal space.

To be queer is to be a shape-shifter; to live in the margins and gray areas, in literal and figurative ways. The mere presence of queerness leaves a unique imprint on an ugly world, and when we tire of twisting and bending to fit into existing norms, queers create new norms for ourselves. This work reflects that ethos, building a visual world created by and for visions of possible futures.

To make these portraits relies heavily on mutual trust — creating something meaningful and authentic through genuine rapport and open communication requires that subject and artist communicate their desires safely. The project takes its title from a poem by Cameron Awkward-Rich, and references the way the portraits bridge the divide between the struggle of the queer experience and the universal need for connection. That intimate collaboration leads to pictures imbued with tenderness, sensuality, struggle, and above all, the power of relationships.