October 31 - November 23, 2024
From La Mecha Contemporary:
“Grace McCoy’s artistic practice is rooted in a deep exploration of lesbian spaces and their critical role in fostering community, care, and identity. Their latest work, Velvet and Steel, investigates the significance of these spaces, blending painting and installation to create immersive environments that reflect the shared histories and resilience of lesbian life. Having grown up in Oklahoma, where queer spaces were notably absent, McCoy brings a personal and historical perspective to the work, emphasizing the need to reclaim and preserve these vital spaces.
As part of Velvet and Steel is the inclusion of a Lesbian library—an archive that stands as both a resource and a living testament to lesbian culture and history. This library, combined with McCoy’s visual art, offers viewers an opportunity to engage more deeply with the themes of identity, community, and care that permeate the work. McCoy’s approach to portraiture extends beyond the conventional; each scene reveals unrevealed figures and subtle clues about their identities, drawing on extensive research into the Butch/Femme dynamic and the history of flagging within the lesbian community.
McCoy’s work explores the fading and transformation of lesbian spaces, highlighting the importance of reclaiming them in the cultural consciousness. Through the intimate portrayal of domestic moments and gestures, they capture the tenderness, resistance, and quiet power that have long characterized queer existence in a patriarchal society. These pieces, both visual and archival, are a reflection on visibility, identity, and the enduring resilience of queer communities.
Grace McCoy is a queer artist and painter whose work focuses on the dynamics of lesbian identity, space, and community. Their paintings and installations, including the Lesbian library, serve as intimate portraits of queer life, with a particular focus on the Butch/Femme dynamic and the history of lesbian spaces. McCoy’s work has been exhibited nationally, continually engaging with the evolving intersections of art, identity, and community in today’s landscape.”
Reception: October 31, 2024 | 6–9 pm
3803 Frutas Avenue
El Paso, 79905 Texas
915-440-3278
Get directions