Art of the Provocative Taboo

from the permanent collection: Mark Armijo McKnight. Untitled, 2023

curated by Lucy White

The Art of the Provocative Taboo centers on artists' representations of alternative spaces, roles, and marginalized groups, aiming to deconstruct, recontextualize, examine, and understand certain taboos ingrained within our society that have historically worked to ostracize specific groups of people and communities. In today's polarized political climate—marked by rising authoritarian rhetoric, attacks on bodily autonomy, book bans, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and the criminalization of dissent—this exhibition becomes especially urgent.

The featured artists confront these contemporary tensions by challenging dominant narratives and exposing the systems that uphold social and cultural taboos. This exhibition seeks to interrogate whose interests are served under these standards and how they are maintained and weaponized in the present day. By engaging with themes of resistance and reclamation, the work is underscored by the vital role that art plays as a form of critique and survival in times of socio-political unrest.