From Childhood to Adulthood, Trevon Latin’s Genderless Figures Transform Through Patchwork Bodies — Colossal

Art
#fabric #genre #sculpture #Trevon Latin
July 12, 2023
Grace Ebert
“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 140 x 120 x 200 cm. All photos by Guillaume Ziccarelli, courtesy of the artist and Perrotin, shared with permission
Great line of doors and full size entrances Perrotinof the New York gallery. Up to seven feet tall, these patchwork tops are made with patterned, sequined, and solid-color fabrics that evoke the stained glass windows of Christian cathedrals, their curved architectural forms mimicking the windows and archways of religious shrines.
The artist’s work Trevon Latin (formerly), these reliefs can also be seen as portals. Latin is visionary and corrective, using quilted and blended forms to modify historical narratives and imagine new realities. Part of their solo exhibition TOYMAKER: Big Blu and the Weeping Walls!! 👁️💧💒these works reflect a world that welcomes the fluidity of gender and sexuality, and where queer love and joy reign.

Left: “I wish I had listened to my conscience…..and not drank an IV. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have had a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched over panel, clothespins, beads, telephone, bottle, 72×51×11 in. Right: “Soul-flower take me flying with you” (2023), fabric stretched over panel, 72 x 51 x 10 inches
Laced with distinct and vibrant color palettes, the reliefs consider the process of self-discovery and developmental stages from infancy to adulthood. A genderless figure emerges through the works, in “I wish I had listened to my conscience…..And not drunk a drip. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces…..I shouldn’t have taken a sip of it” appearing as a baby wrapped in clothespins grabbing a bottle. Similar, stylized subjects continue to appear in each of the pieces, one arm reaching out from the hodgepodge or embracing another as in “Our daily bred | Blueberries and cream.
The artist’s childhood in a Southern Black Pentecostal community underpins the body of work and offers an entry point into the exploration of how the strictures and restrictions of the church affect the formation of an identity. While experiencing dysmorphia and confined by these religious doctrines, the Latin figures are continually transformed and find greater freedom as they detach themselves from their structural bases. The free-standing sculpture ‘Big Blu’ is the final form in the series, his fists pressing into the green earth base and hunched back appearing ready to stand up and move forward.
TOYMAKER it’s on display until July 28, and you can find more from Latin onwards Perrotin.

Detail of “I wish I had listened to my conscience…..And not drank an IV. I wouldn’t be here in so many pieces….. I shouldn’t have had a sip” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched over panel, clothespins, beads, telephone, bottle, 72 × 51 × 11 in.

Left: “Thumbsucker (Pink)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched over panel, clothespins, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 in. Right: “Thumbsucker (Blue)” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched over panel, clothespins, beads, wood, 84 x 47 1/2 x 6 in

“Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 140 x 120 x 210 cm

Left: “Lean left-lean left | Llelow” (2023), fabric stretched over panel, clothespins, beads, boxing gloves, wood, 84 x 50 x 16 in. Right: “Our daily breeding | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched over panel, beads, 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Our daily breeding | Blue-berries n’ cream” (2023), fabric and sequins stretched on panel, beads. 84 x 50 x 18 inches

Detail of “Big blu” (2023), fabric, sequins, wood, 140 x 120 x 210 cm

Installation view of ‘TOYMAKER: Big Blu & the Weeping Walls!!’
#fabric #genre #sculpture #Trevon Latin
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