Juan Arango Palacios

Spinello Projects presents Jardín del Deseo, the debut solo exhibition with the gallery by Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Juan Arango Palacios.

Jardín del Deseo highlights woven textile works that explore the artist’s relationship to the body within the context of sexual expression and romance as a queer immigrant in the United States. Using a range of weaving and embellishing techniques such as hand weaving on a four shaft loom, industrial photo weaving machine looms, and hand stitched appliques, Arango Palacios creates seductive images of men, blending the masculine figure with soft eroticism and feminine qualities.

The male body is featured prominently in this body of work. The depiction of nude or partially nude male bodies are not only a nod to the history of eroticism in queer art, but also a reference to hook-up app culture. Online hook-up apps like Grindr and Sniffies are filled with images of people who often exclude their face to maintain discretion, but simultaneously flaunt their bodies to express their sexuality. While their identity is not disclosed, there are other clues into these people’s personalities or identities. Tattoos, body hair, jewelry, and clothing (or the lack thereof) are not only an individual’s idiosyncrasy but they are also a key to attracting the male gaze, stimulating further connections.

By placing the figures in a ‘jardín’ or garden background, Arango Palacios is bringing these found online images into a fantastical setting that posits safety, security, and freedom as a given, in contrast to an actual society that is plagued by machismo, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and urbanization. Instead of speaking on the violence, shame and guilt caused by these phobias and conditions, these textile works celebrate the beauty and love that resides in queer bodies.