Absurd Vessel
Tolley, Michael Jess
Citations
Abstract
Absurd Vessel is a series of multimedia paintings using themes of science fiction to explore the cognitive estrangement of mind and body through devotional imagery. These paintings provide a playful space in which earnest existential topics are expressed through so-called gay filth and deviancy and reoriented as rites of personal salvation. In this body of work, I research the various ways queer artists and writers come to terms with their spirituality while existing on the theological fringes. I extend this endeavor to cosmic cycles of death and rebirth in order to express a type of extro-science fiction, where full comprehension is just beyond reach. This ineffability parallels my former Christian beliefs’ inability to conceive of the exaltation of a queer body.