Artist Bio
Her Louisiana upbringing directly influences Alex’s artistic vocabulary. Raised in the tiny town of Woodworth, she works from the perspective of living under religious repression and homophobia but still reserves a fascination for small southern town life. Despite being a painter (first and foremost), she enjoys practicing in many different mediums, from sculpture to stop-motion animation.
Artist Statement
This collection of work stitches together Louisiana imagery with domestic lesbian life. Alex uses iconography such as catfish, gas stations, ‘gators, and baptist themes to allow her to converse about the Southern lesbian experience in a way that refuses to demonize the South as a whole. Some of these icons, such as the catfish, have become a self-identifier for her throughout her MFA experience. While the catfish is a symbol of community and Louisiana culture, to “catfish” someone is to lie about who you truly are. In becoming a catfish, she confronts the reality that many LGBT community members faces of not being completely out to family, friends, and loved ones. Alex repurposes recorded conversations with family, old family photos, and memories to see them through a lens of both yearning and apprehension.
