Approaching Zeke’s Projects, I am welcomed by the scent of smoking bratwursts, smiling faces, and a sense of warmth. The site on Sylvan Ave, which once housed Cluley Projects, now accommodates artist and gallerist Zeke Williams. In February, the gallery opened its first exhibition, Selections from the Collection of Melissa Culling and Zeke Williams, a group show featuring works from a handful of Dallas and Fort Worth-based artists.
I comically noticed how almost no one used the front door as they came in and instead opted for the garage door that Zeke lifted, letting in the cool Texas wind. It all felt so casual and laid-back. The breeze followed behind me as I entered the gallery, greeted by a floor-to-ceiling white cloth wall foregrounded by several photos dancing delicately in front of my eyes; these are the images of Chloe Scout Nix.
Chloe Scout Nix, “smoking makes me think of John #2,” 2024, fabric-coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
Originally from Waxahachie, Texas, Chloe obtained a studio arts degree from Southern Methodist University. During her time in Dallas, she worked at Galleri Urbane and presented exhibitions of her photographic work at various galleries and project spaces, including 500X and the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. Chloe recently graduated with an MFA in photography from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where her thesis show received press coverage from Hyperallergic.
What I initially noticed about Chloe’s work were the uncommonly thick frames, which accentuated the intimate moments and encounters depicted on their faces. The uniqueness in depth added to the pleasure of viewing the almost-erotic images. Chloe created this body of work over the last year while experiencing a prolonged desire for closeness. While Chloe is not an intimacy coach, she believes that images can teach us the gestures of intimacy, and she performs them for us in front of her own lens.
Chloe Scout Nix, “you made me hate country music,” 2025, fabric coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
In you made me hate country music, Chloe’s body is cropped by the frame; she is wearing denim-on-denim with black socks, sitting in a child’s pose on a lacquered floor with her hands tucked between her legs. Atop Chloe is her ex-lover clad in denim, too, but with white socks. Why is he sitting on her? Is she trapped? Is she comfortable? Is she just being used? The image reads almost fetishistically with the denim-on-denim action and Chloe acting almost like furniture. The material symbolism of denim is evocative of Western wear, individualism, and rebellion.
Chloe Scout Nix, “starving,” 2025. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
Even more erotic is a short film called starving, where the viewer has the privilege of witnessing the artist in a private moment of calm ecstasy. You can find Chloe tucked away in a white cube at the back of the gallery, but you can only see her through a small horizontal partition. And if you slip on the headphones hanging below the box, you can hear a Shepard’s tone pitch, leaving you with the sensation of suspense and anticipation; it is very intimate.
Chloe Scout Nix, “fingered,” 2024, fabric coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
Chloe Scout Nix, “dad ear #2,” 2024, fabric coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
i will kill your daddy also highlights the physical form of relationships. Sometimes, it’s hard to decipher where one person begins, and the other ends with limbs intertwined and fingers grasping for each other.
Chloe’s head resting on the shoulder and lap of a sister-like friend; the comfort of a familial loved one, a hug from your dad. Some relationships depicted feel unfamiliar, brooding, and invasive, like tickling and beneath you. The first reveals the tongue of a stranger licking at the artist’s eye. In the other, the tattooed arm of a bartender reaches down to gingerly tuck some hair behind Chloe’s ear.
Chloe Scout Nix, “tickling,” 2024, fabric coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
Chloe Scout Nix, “beneath you,” 2025, fabric coated vinyl paper mounted on wood panel. Photo: Chloe Scout Nix, courtesy of the artist and Zeke’s Projects
During her time here, I had several opportunities to speak with Chloe, and she was such a joy to be present with. Like her work, she is touchy and intimate, placing a hand on my elbow and wrapping me in a hug as I am introduced to her by a colleague. Chloe also participated in the Dallas Art Book Fair at Dallas Contemporary, where she sold copies of her written work, photos, posters, boot-shaped candle holders, shirts, tote bags, and quaint ear stickers. I am enveloped in the cozy, mellow hug of Chloe’s images and personhood, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Chloe Scout Nix’s table at the Dallas Contemporary Dallas Art Book Fair. Photo: A Sea of Love. Courtesy of the Artists and Dallas Contemporary
I am excited to see what is to come from Zeke’s Projects where, as Zeke himself says, the stakes are low, but the seriousness is deadly. I will come back for a hot dog any damn day.
Chloe Scout Nix: i will kill your daddy is on view through April 26th at Zeke’s Projects.
