For MIR27, our curators chose the theme of world building as point of departure.
Worldbuilding is the act or process of constructing a world, oftentimes an imaginary world. This is a common practice within the genre of science fiction. However, while imaginary, these worlds are powerful vessels for considering what’s possible within reality. Author and activist Adrienne Marie Brown writes, “The realm of science and speculative fiction could be a great place to intentionally practice the futures we long for.” She continues, “all organizing is science fiction….we are bending the future, together, into something we have never experienced.” In a similar fashion, those who engage in self-expression at the fringe of what is deemed acceptable by society are constantly rewriting what is possible. As kinksters, we find and create different forms of joy-seeking, pleasure practice, relationship structures, community-building, and more. In a sense, we engage in a form of everyday worldbuilding. We create ever-expanding conceptions of the human experience that challenge those around us to consider what is possible or acceptable.
This exhibition was created to honor this aspect of kink and curate a collection of artworks by contemporary kinksters that each engage in worldbuilding in their own way. We invite you to explore and consider the different ways each artist is pushing the boundaries of the normative “world,” what kinds of worlds they are each constructing, and for who.
Featured Artists
Abhijeet, Chicago, IL
Abhijeet is a drag artist and nightlife producer in Chicago. Hailed as a 7ft tall Bollywood Barbie, she brings the glitz and glam both on and off the stage through larger-than-life looks and performances. In addition to being a featured artist at Chicago’s favorite LGBTQ+ venues, Abhijeet regularly intersects drag and kink on stage. From wearing a 5 foot chastity cage as a garment, to hosting parties as a demon hound, to using pups as seats on stage, she brings kink into numerous spaces throughout Chicago and beyond. You can follow her on instagram.
Axle, San Francisco, CA
Axle likes opening folks’ eyes to new kinks, and has crafted various in-depth erotic story universes to do just that. Through written word, image curation and at times choose-your-own-adventure style engagement, Axle invites his instagram followers into “good twisted scenario[s].” Through worldbuilding, Axle not only provides jerk-off fuel for the horny, but also explores his own gender identity and comes into his own kinky interests. We’re excited to include one of Axle’s worlds in this show for you to explore. You can follow him on instagram.
Finn, Chicago, IL
Finn is a drag artist in Chicago that regularly intersects the magic of drag with the freedom of pet and creature play on stage. She writes “through exploring the world of pups, animals, and adorning myself in this kinkwear, I am able to become another being outside myself. It is freeing and helps to soothe my anxious tendencies.” You can follow her on instagram.
House of Huitlacooch, Chicago, IL
The House of Huitlacooch is a Chicago-based queer and trans People of Color (QTPOC) kink and BDSM collective. They conduct community organizing and create art with the goal of “creating spaces that give the representation our community has been deprived of.” By embodying the world they envision, the House is itself a form of worldbuilding, looking to “explore new realms of kink, prioritizing safety, respect, pleasure, & abundance.” The House hopes to blend their world with MIR by highlighting trans BIPOC bodies, thus “de-centering the cis white gaze, & illustrating that rubber & kink is for all.” You can follow House of Huitlacooch on instagram.
Jeremy A. Teal, Austin, TX
Teal (Mr. Texas Leather 2019) is working on a project titled “I, Too, Am Kink” to “explore the participation and necessity of [People of Color] in Kink and BDSM by capturing images, stories, and some video.” In this way, Teal is building a BDSM world in his own image of and for folks of color. Learn more about Teals project on their website or follow them on instagram.
Maxx Aguilar, Chicago, IL
Aguilar is a “product designer and multidisciplinary artist that works with a variety of media such as drawing, painting, printmaking, digital imaging, photography, music, metal working, and fashion design.” Learn more about Aguilar’s creative practice on their website or follow them on instagram.
Ralic Turman, Sumy, Ukraine
Ukraine-based digital artist Ralic Turman creates 3D worlds that blend science fiction and sexual fantasy. He takes “unexpected combinations of incompatible entities” and invents new worlds that bring them together through high-tech bondage and pleasure. His vision of BDSM reaches beyond our reality — and our galaxy — but speaks to human desires of submission and control. You can follow him on Twitter.