Sedgwick Guth

Artist Statement -

"My work originates from my place as a queer artist existing in our current realm of technology and social media - I'm an observer, standing from outside looking in, yet also participating in some of the modern rituals of said spaces. My work often attempting to understand my place amongst all this information, particularly as both a gay man and a queer artist.

In my work I place subjects in settings of intimacy and narrative mysticism, a reinterpretation of many of the symbols and techniques of my cultural background (Pennsylvania Dutch), applying the heteronormative and protestant symbolism to queer existence and relationships. I'm placing queer subjects alongside imagery and customs which had not been constructed to include them. The use of embroidery and stitching into my work reflects a nod to Pennsylvania Dutch craft and tradition such as taufscheine frakturs and mourning embroideries from the 17th -19th centuries. Creating my own personal folklore which ties into my love of constellations, astrology, and mythology; as well as processing and questioning my own navigation of a 21st century world of technological pressures (social expectations, romantic & platonic love, body issues, sexual capital, spiritualism, definition of family, etc.)  The intent is that of a work saturated in color, with a focus on the empowerment of vulnerability.

My goal with these works is to depict the subjects in gentle and mystical environments. Safe spaces for them to exist and to be beautiful in their own right. These works incorporate my own personal narrative, as well as the perceived narratives that exist to each person who view and interact with the piece. The potential story of the 'everyman' per se, a possible Shakespearean notion that can apply to now, as "we know each other but have never met".'