First two images:
Kris Grey
Mechanics of Synthesis
porcelain, glaze
2010
This work investigates repeating patterns and forms in nature, biology, and machinery. The gasket is a object found in engines which acts as a barrier at a point of contact but also as a conduit, forming a safe seal between two pieces. It is a literal embodiment of border. As an individual who exists on the border between two prescribed gender roles I am drawn to this metaphor. The shape of these hand built porcelain gaskets are derivative and have been based on the physical form of hormone molecules. If you look at testosterone and estrogen molecules you’ll see they are almost identical. I’m excited by this ambiguity and am interested in using these repeating forms to formally comment on the grey areas of masculinity and femininity.
Last image:
Kris Grey
Untitled (Sitting With)
stereo audio
2010
The driving forces of my life and art work revolve around the idea of compulsory gender and the trans persona. Popular culture, the scientific community and the media contribute to a cultural hegemony that urges conformity to a strict gender binary. This binary dictates that we identify as either male or female, and that our appearances, behaviors, and preferences are proscribed by this designation.
As a gender variant individual I find myself outside of the binary, and consequently, my work seeks to explore the expansive nature of the gender continuum. I access technologies of gender mutation in order to enhance physical ambiguities which have historically been eradicated or manipulated by systems of science and the health industry. I function as a hybrid queer individual, intersexed by design as opposed to diagnosis.
Kris Grey's website