My senior capstone art exhibition is a series of oil paintings that explore the intersection of Catholic religious imagery and themes of queer oppression and celebration, particularly in the context of womanhood. I draw on my own experiences as a queer Jewish woman as I investigate these tensions, celebrating the power of otherness and self-expression while examining how identity is shaped by societal and historical forces. My goal is to produce paintings that challenge traditional interpretations of religious themes, giving voice to marginalized identities within the framework of sacred art. Ultimately, my work aims to both critique and celebrate how queerness intersects with sacred art and religious traditions, particularly focusing on the marginalization of women. I aspire to reinterpret long standing religious dogma that has been used to justify injustices against queer people and others, in order to examine how these polarized ideologies might better coexist. 

The Christian Church’s tradition to baptize babies before they become fully conscious humans is an inherently non consensual act. It thrusts children into a Christian socialization without their choice, imposing an identity onto them which they must passively accept or actively reject. The bible demands queer Christians love God, but not the humans they fall for. Thus, queer Christians have eternally struggled to grapple with these conflicting identities, pushing and pulling themselves in and out of “the water”. In depicting a woman’s body being forcefully thrown into a body of water, I am examining the non consensual nature of baptizing queer adolescents. 

Dike with her Scales 

23" x 17"

The Passion 

28" x 22"

Within the female body lies the origin of the living world. The world is your oyster speaks to this in cryptic tongue, analogizing an egg to a pearl, a unit of creation found within an enclosed shell. But without the force of man, an oyster won’t open, a pearl can’t be seen and sold, commodified and exploited. We are thus told that pearls have no beauty if they are not seen. My painting examines conflicting issues of censorship and visual exploitation of the female nude. It is based on Gustave Courbet’s painting, the revolutionary L’Origine du Monde (1866) (which translates to The Origin of the World). It was to be permanently hidden behind a curtain, except for elite men. 

Violaceae 

19" x 14"

The male neck protrusion known as an “Adam’s apple” was named after the biblical story in which Satan (in the form of a serpent) lures Eve to eat the forbidden fruit against God’s wishes. The Bible’s original sin being committed by the original women subliminally enforces a conception of women as inferior to men. However, the protrusion alludes to a piece of fruit being stuck in Adam’s neck, implying that the historically shameful act attributed to Eve was perhaps actually committed by Adam. My painting depicts Adam attempting to prevent the serpent from biting his Adam’s apple, perhaps suggesting man’s denial to accept the responsibility of their actions?

Four Nuns 

9.5" x 7"

The IXTHUS Fish is the Greek word for fish, and acrostic for the Greek words: Iesous Xhristos Theou Uios Soter (Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior). It was used during the Roman persecution of Christianity to avoid detection. By showing the undetected fish as visible under a harsh light, I acknowledge the shift in societal acceptance of Christianity from a persecuted religion to a religion which today structurally enforces persecution against queer and other peoples.