Nathan Hosmer
Region: South
Initially drawn to drag performers and the energetic yet dimly lit safe spaces
they occupy, my new work aims to investigate self-aware yet prideful queer
people. My confident brushstrokes and bold use of color reflect the unbashful
representation of queer subjects in my work. I’m inspired by the Quito and
Cuzco schools of painting and the way that they appropriated Catholic imagery
in order to celebrate and cherish their own cultural identity whilst using
their oppressor’s visual language. Similarly, I aim to honor queer narratives
by appropriating and reclaiming traditional Catholic images, narratives, and
icons. Many of these were used in my upbringing as groundwork for gendered
roles and heteronormativity that manifested in homophobia. For many of my
paintings, I have those closest to me pose in drag, breaking down gender
roles and limitations while simultaneously referencing specific Catholic
motifs and iconography.
![](https://nap-master.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/bio_cover_img/public/hosmer_headshot_edit.jpg?7u93TSRbK0Bp94L3p8spdA0ICe.7bS5T&itok=nQbyU4b-)