In my work, I question why many gay men fetishize heteromasculinity, and I explore issues of internalized homophobia and misogyny in the queer community. Using a combination of traditional sculpture, assemblage, screen printing, graphic design, sewing and other media, I aim to interrogate and dismantle these constructs. Critical self-reflection, intensive research, and a wry humor inform my approach to art making.
Riley Ames grew up in rural Colorado and is based in New York, NY and Amherst, MA. He attended Hampshire College in Amherst, MA where he studied studio art, photography, queer theory, design, and fabrication. His thesis was a solo exhibition titled “Straight Acting” where, driven by lived experience, he explored the gay community’s obsession with masculinity by dismantling, recontextualizing, and ultimately queering cultural icons and everyday objects.
His work is highly conceptual with a clean aesthetic that speaks to fidelity in material, process and finish. To date he has made sculptures, garments and installations in plaster, plastic, wood, metal and textiles. He also has a permanent public art installation – an artist’s bathroom – in the Hampshire College Art Gallery. In addition to his studio practice, Riley does commissioned design and fabrication work in various media.