When I spoke with E.A. Adams about the development of her performative photographs, she shared with me a comment she received from one of her professors: that the initial drafts of this work did not address the fact of the artist’s race. With this in mind, she coated the ropes in black paint and re-shot the photos–as if she had to perform her blackness on camera. In this body of work about self-pleasure, a black body cannot simply experience delight, or escape the discussion of race. 

This story raises several questions relevant to both works presented here: Must the artist’s identity be examined in their work? After viewing Adams’ photographs, how does the experience influence the viewing of Sal Salandra? 

E. A. Adams

I am an imp of perversion. Macabre, manic, and melancholic, my practice serves as an exploration of identity, gender, sexuality, the fragility of reality, and the existentialism of the human condition. Taking a glimpse into the liminal and the uncanny, I draw references from contemporary, ancient, and political history; as well as literature that includes allegory, mythology, fantastical creatures and deities, and the occult. Using portraiture, sculpture, photography, film, and performance, I install images and objects in an effort to work through trauma by creating personal mythologies that reflect darkness, duality, temporality, and transformation.

Success is found through play, process, curiosity, and mystery; My practice is a turbulent composition of the exploration of science and research, viewer interaction, the cultivation of community and public space, and the liberation and philosophy of human, often primal, darkness. Focuses in my process consist of traditional sculpting methods; ceramic hand building, life casting, and foundry practices; in addi- tion to non-conventional methods such as film, photography, and performance. I am invested in the surface; I am driven by aesthetic beauty, color, popular culture, and the examination of pornography.

E. A. Adams was born, lives, and works in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her pronouns are she/her/they and they are currently a B.F.A. Candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her favorite color is pink and she enjoys film, fashion, and video games.

Sal Salandra

I am American self taught artist .My art is self created and hand sown .I have been sowing 40 yrs erotic the past 10 I sow 12 hrs a day every day.