Reconciling Masculinity investigates evolving definitions of masculinity through the lens of cultural expectation, media influence, and personal identity. Addressing toxic masculinity through first-person experience, the exhibition engages issues of gender discrimination, abuse, and the pressures of inherited roles, while also considering how men might actively shed dominant stereotypes to redefine what it means to be a man today.
The project was developed through a collaborative framework, bringing together a group of leading collage artists from across the country whose distinct visual languages expand and complicate the central inquiry. Working alongside a small curatorial team, the exhibition was shaped through dialogue, exchange, and collective decision-making. For many involved, the subject matter was deeply personal and at times sensitive, informing both the tone of the work and the care taken in its presentation.
Public programming, including collage meetups, lectures, and the opening reception, extended the exhibition into a broader community context, positioning the work as both a site of reflection and a platform for conversation.
Works by Craig van den Bosch unless otherwise noted.
Participating Collage Artists:
Kyle Anderson | John Arbuckle | Elsa Bouman | Cheryl Chudyk | MJ Connors Davison | Ben DiNino | Templeton Elliott | Kellette Elliott | Mandy Fariello | Torea Frey | Kathryn Gallant | Marty Gordon | Anne Marie Grgich | Kathryn Kim | Clive Knights | Danielle Krysa | Morgan Lappin | Kim McIver | Anna Okrasinski-Maddox | Mitchell Oliver | Katie Price | Garrett Saleen | Kevin Sampsell | Lydia Selk | Sumeet Singh | Mikhail Siskoff | Cherie Savoie Tintary | G. E. Vogt | Laura Weiler | Chad Yenney
Materials
ceramic, collage, plaster, pla, acrylic paint, diebond, installation
ceramic, collage, plaster, pla, acrylic paint, diebond, installation
Exhibition
SHIFT Gallery
SHIFT Gallery
Seattle, 2023
Reconciling Masculinity, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Reconciling Masculinity 6, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view:
Participating Collage Artists Installation view
Reconciling Masculinity 2, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view, figure, 3D PLA pen, 5’ x 4’
Reconciling Masculinity 3, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view:
Hyper-Masculinity Schism 1, 2023, 3D scan on Diebond, 18” x 24”
Hyper-Masculinity Schism 2, 2023, 3D scan on Diebond, 18” x 24”
Hyper-Masculinity Schism 3, 2023, 3D scan on Diebond, 18” x 24”
Hyper-Masculinity Schism 4, 2023, 3D scan on Diebond, 18” x 24”
Reconciling Masculinity 4, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Total Regret: Confessions of a Violence Influencer, 2023, ink drawing printed on Diebond, 6’ x 4’
Total Regret: Confessions of a Violence Influencer, 2023, ink drawing printed on Diebond, detail
Total Regret: Confessions of a Violence Influencer, 2023, ink drawing printed on Diebond, detail
Total Regret: Confessions of a Violence Influencer, 2023, ink drawing printed on Diebond, detail
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view
Reconciling Masculinity 5, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
“43”, 2023, plaster, 4 x 5 ft
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view:
Reconciling Masculinity: The Science Says, 2023, acrylic paint and transfers on canvas, 4 x 8 ft
Reconciling Masculinity 7, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel
Reconciling Masculinity Installation view, slip-cast ceramics, variable sizes
“43”, 2023, plaster, detail
Participating Collage Artists Installation view
Reconciling Masculinity, 2023, paper, glue, acrylic paint, archival satin matte medium top coat on birch panel 8
