The Unruly Dance of Form

Andrius Alvarez-Backus, Cameron Patricia Downey, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov, Gordon Hall, Jesús Hilario-Reyes, Oliver Herring, Juliana Huxtable, Young-jun Tak

The exhibition explores hybrid storytelling methods—blending personal narratives, speculative fiction, and poetic reinterpretations—to expand how marginalized perspectives reimagine the intersections of queerness and architecture in profound and evocative ways. By merging lived experiences with speculative futures, these approaches construct multidimensional narratives that challenge normative frameworks. Through embodied storytelling and imaginative reconfigurations of familiar forms, spaces, and images—as well as through body modification and totemization—the works reveal how queer individuals reshape the built world, envisioning spaces of inclusion, fluidity, and resistance.

Andrius Alvarez-Backus (b. 1999) is an artist pursuing an MFA at Columbia University (expected 2025) after earning a BFA from The Cooper Union (2023). His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Fitchburg Art Museum, where he had his first museum solo show, Desastre! (2023). Alvarez-Backus has received honors such as the Richard Lewis Bloch Memorial Prize and will be the inaugural Nicholas Dahl Visiting Artist at the Provincetown Art Association & Museum in 2025.

Cameron Patricia Downey (b. 1998, Minneapolis) is an anti-disciplinary artist working across sculpture, photography, film, and curation. Their work has been exhibited at institutions including the Walker Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, and T293 Gallery. Downey was the 2023 recipient of the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation’s MN Art Prize and has participated in residencies at Loghaven, Second Shift, and Juxtaposition Arts. They hold a BA in visual art and environmental science from Columbia University and are an MFA candidate in sculpture at Yale.

Gordon Hall (b. 1983) is a New York-based sculptor, performance-maker, and writer. Hall has had solo exhibitions at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Renaissance Society, and MIT List Visual Arts Center. Their work has been shown at the Whitney Museum, The Drawing Center, and David Zwirner. Since 2011, Hall has directed the Center for Experimental Lectures, producing programs at MoMA PS1, Artists Space, and the Whitney Biennial.

Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov (b. 1988) is an interdisciplinary artist exploring transformation, identity, and the intersections of nature and technology. He has participated in residencies including Skowhegan (2023) and ISCP (2022) and exhibited at the 4th Ural Industrial Biennial, the 33rd Ljubljana Biennial, and institutions such as the Tretyakov Gallery. Recent solo exhibitions include Museum of Skins at Ncontemporary, Milan (2024), and Snake Changing Skin at Fragment Gallery, New York (2023).

Jesús Hilario-Reyes (b. 1996, San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an interdisciplinary artist and first-year MFA candidate in sculpture at Yale. He has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Black Star Film Festival and is a recipient of fellowships from Lighthouse Works, Bemis Center, and Leslie Lohman.

Oliver Herring (b. 1964, Germany, based in Brooklyn) is a visual artist known for experimental techniques examining human nature and interpersonal dynamics. His work has been widely exhibited, including at MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, and the Hirshhorn Museum, as well as internationally at the Camden Art Centre, Kyoto Art Center, and Lyon Biennale.

Juliana Huxtable (b. 1987, Bryan-College Station, TX, based in New York) is an artist, writer, musician, and performer whose work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum, MoMA PS1, ICA Boston, and Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève. Her work is in the collections of the Guggenheim, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art.

Young-jun Tak (b. 1989, Seoul, lives in Berlin) examines belief systems through his art. He has had solo exhibitions at Philippzollinger (Zurich), Julia Stoschek Foundation (Berlin/Düsseldorf), and Atelier Hermès (Seoul). His work has been included in the Lyon Biennale, Bangkok Art Biennale, Chicago Architecture Biennial, and Berlin Biennale, and is part of the Julia Stoschek Collection, Burger Collection, and the Seoul Museum of Art Collection.