Joan Cox: Sapphic Gaze
Archive photo: Joan Cox at Art Gallery Studios, Mexico (2024)
Joan Cox: Sapphic Gaze
IA&A at Hillyer, Washington, DC from August 3 – September 1, 2024
Opening reception: Friday, August 2 (“First Friday”), 6 to 8 p.m.
Sapphic Gaze presents a compelling series of vibrant, life-size portraits that delve into the intimate lives of women-loving women. Drawing from her 23-year relationship and the experiences of lesbian couples in her community, Joan Cox crafts visual narratives that champion intense, celebratory, and nuanced relationships. By reimagining historical art compositions with personal narratives and lush, symbolic imagery, Joan challenges the historical absence of lesbian representation in Western art. Her paintings are a canvas of affirmation, celebrating the dynamic and complex intimacies between women, which have long been overlooked or taboo. Through this exhibition, Joan showcases the beauty and complexity of sapphic love and aims to affirm these relationships, recognizing them for their intrinsic value and significant place in contemporary society.
About Joan Cox
Joan Cox (born 1969) is a feminist, lesbian figurative painter known for her evocative portrayals of intimate relationships between women. Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, her formative years were marked by a period when LGBTQ+ identities were marginalized and silenced. She fearlessly depicts herself, her wife, and their child. Joan holds an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design’s low-residency program at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. In 2023, she co-curated a queer-themed exhibition In This Body of Mine along with Liz Faust at MassArt’s SoWa Gallery in Boston.
Joan will be exhibiting in Mexico City during Art Week in February 2025 with the Bureau of Queer Art. For more information on her work and exhibition schedule, follow her Instagram @joancoxartist and visit her website at joancoxart.com.