Multi-disciplinary artist Ryan Bauer-Walsh will show 50 paintings in an upcoming solo exhibition at Gallery 198, open to the public August 8–16 at the Brooklyn space. Titled Faggot Baggage, the autobiographical collection will unfold each evening, with Bauer-Walsh unpacking paintings, clothing, and personal objects to create the exhibition live.
The collection, which Bauer-Walsh describes as “new-age magical realism,” was created over the last year following the death of Bauer-Walsh’s mother and a period spent living in Mexico, examining “grief, queer identity, trauma, faith, and resilience,” per press notes. Works range in size from 5 × 7″ to 60 × 30″, and include Bauer-Walsh’s signature “Banana Ducks.” The latter will be the centerpiece of the exhibition through an adult-sized, hand-painted play fort filled with the hybrid non-binary creatures, offering patrons “a place of refuge amid the emotional weight of the surrounding work.”
“I’ve been called a faggot since before I knew what it meant or who I was,” says Bauer-Walsh in a statement. “For much of my life I’ve performed versions of myself that felt safer than the truth. This exhibition is about choosing honesty instead. Every painting is a piece of baggage I’ve carried, and this is the first time I’m inviting other people to unpack it with me and hang my dirty laundry for all to see.”
Gallery 198 is hosting a men’s clothing drive benefiting The Ali Forney Center in conjunction with Bauer-Walsh’s show, with visitors encouraged to donate men’s clothing, including sweaters and overwear. Selected pieces may become part of the evolving installation, too.
Tickets for the August 8 performance art launch of the collection are available here. For more on Bauer-Walsh’s work, visit RyanBauerWalsh.com.