"Covert Masculinities" Work by Riley Rist

Name: "Covert Masculinities" Work by Riley Rist
Start: 2025-01-31T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2025-01-31T21:00:00-06:00
Location: 410 Project

Schedule

Fri Jan 31 2025 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

410 Project | Mankato, MN

Join the 410 Project
"Covert Masculinities"
Artwork by Riley Rist
Artist Statement: Riley Rist
My work is focused on anthropological research of how American/Western masculinity is perceived and assigned. I explore the connection between gender expression and the stereotyping of sexuality, exploring why effeminate men are labeled as queer. Specifically, my works look at the line between masculine and feminine expression from the male-identifying perspective, to inquire about the amount of feminine traits that can be possessed until sexuality is questioned/assumed (and why does being feminine have to be a bad thing?!)
Through printmaking, I convey a physical connection to my anthropological research to produce subverted imagery about masculine behaviors and appearances. The source material of the work is a variety of photographs, both photographed by me, as well as self-portraits from friends. Having my own perspectives and ideas about masculine imagery and expression, paired with a wider range of ideas from the identities of friends, helps showcase a broader range of masculinities. I then collage these images digitally to create works that require inspection and consideration. The process of inspection is critical to the works, each set of prints has its own layers of imagery hidden within them, and through careful viewing details are revealed. The process of CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key/Black) silkscreen printing helps distort the original photographs even further.