MIR28 EXHIBITION
Image : Riley Valentine "Devotion"
MIR28 - Rubber Runway
The way we present ourselves is an extension of who we are deep down. Kink is fertile ground for exploration and experimentation, and this year’s show highlights artists who transform parts of their identities into wearables, personas, and experiences. Their work pushes the boundaries of how we might imagine (and reinvent) ourselves through kink.
Abhijeet (they/she)
Chicago performer and nightlife organizer Abhijeet returns to MIR with more wearable artwork. Fetish is tied into a lot of their work because of its intimacy and the intense reactions it draws — from participants and observers.
boy Kona (he/him)
Boy Kona has made his “life and identity into a love letter to [his] heritage.” While he’s known for his signature pink leather, he also creates tradition-breaking gear that is expressive and embraces community and heritage in the face of adversity.
Dizzy Hit (they/them)
Dizzy is a small artist out of Fort Wayne, Indiana who is trying to branch the gap between the streets and the rubber sheets. Whether it is your local LGBTQIA+ venue or the mailbox down the road Dizzy will be there either smoking, wagging their tail, or marking their territory with permanent marker.
Finn (she/her)
Chicago drag performer Finn explores the world of pups, animals, and adorning herself in kinkwear in order to become another being outside herself. This year she collaborated with Abhijeet to create a range of pup hoods and accompanying video.
Glittery Trashcat: Cotton Candy Kitty (they/she/he)
Glittery TrashCat is a Chicago-based Drag Artist who explores what it means to be a human and animal at the same time, both on and off the stage. Her “Cotton Candy Kitty” look and persona blend her feline and kinky sides.
Irregular Girl (she/he) and Toi Ano (they/them)
Irregular Girl is a Chicago-based drag performer. Her drag addresses and celebrates her body, saying, “It is important to me for us as trans people to see ourselves as beautiful, desirable, confident, and aligned.” She collaborated with Toi on a cowboy-inspired outfit that blends masculine and feminine traits.
Loren J / JForPay (she/her)
As a drag performer, gear, roleplaying and transformation have always been a part of Loren’s work. This year, in collaboration with Dizzy Hit, she has contributed an interactive installation for MIR attendees to experience throughout the weekend.
Mushy Smush (they/he)
To photographer Mushy Smush, “Kink and gear is an extension of my body that can make my limited physical form feel unlimited and expansive. It is play, laughter, fear, joy, and terror. >:).”
Pup Hobart (he/she)
Pup Hobart wears gear that represents the intersection of culture, solidarity, and destruction of the stereotypes surrounding kink. He rejects anything that puts inclusion to the wayside and aims to represent alternative forms of media. His gear is meant to turn heads, engage conversations, and inspire people to be themselves.
Riley Valentine (she/her)
Riley Valentine is an analog artist and photographer based in Chicago, Illinois. She produces her artwork through the utilization of various analog photographic mediums and processes, placing importance on the intersection of the feminine gaze and photographic science.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
MIR27 - Intergalactic Rubber
MIR26 - RubU
MIR25 - RubberVision
MIR23 - Underground
MIR22 - The Art of Rubber
ABOUT ART AT MIR
At MIR22, The Art Of Rubber, MIR Contest was able to begin a program of art exhibitions as part of the weekend. The goal of this initiative is to bring new artists and perspectives to the attention of our attendees each year. We strive to avoid traditional "beefcake" imagery, and to explore other expression of rubber and kink in an artistic context. These exhibitions are brief and temporary at this time, exhibited at our primary venue just for the three days of MIR The International Rubber Contest Weekend. Learn more about our exhibitions, past and present by clicking on of the links above.