Jacs Repei
Blanket of Inaccessibility
2024
Sandpaper, staples, and wire, 5' x 4'
Project description
The butch identity has a long and rich history in blue collar and manual labour, yet being physically disabled prevents one a safe connection with this aspect of the culture. Through shredding, softening, hand-stitching, and stapling hundreds of pieces of sandpaper together, there is an emulation of this otherwise unreachable act of labour that still allows for a roughening of the hands, and of creating something new.
An item that is a combination of contradictions — a blanket, soft and warm, now made harsh, coarse, and abrasive — fabricated with both violence (ripping, tearing, crushing, breaking) as well as gentleness and care (arranging, sewing, attaching). It acts as a peacemaker and compromises between the clashing facets of a complex identity.
Double Consciousness II , 2025, oil on canvas, 36" x 48"
Artist’s biography
Jacs Repei is a butch lesbian artist currently based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, QC. A key element to their practice lies in the deliberate and complete attention given to exploring their materials, focusing on an incredibly hands-on approach to making. Their work is extremely interdisciplinary, choosing to explore facets of gender, identity, memory, grief, and the material at hand; be it painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, fibres, installation, or whatever else they can get their hands on.
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