Ana Benaroya, "Nighthawks," 2023. Marker and India ink on Bristol board; Work: 15 x 20 in (38.1 x 50.8 cm) Framed: 18 1/8 x 23 1/8 in (46 x 58.7 cm).
Debuted on June 8th and on display until July 8th, In My Room, pays homage to the Beach Boys’ song with its title.
"There's a world where I can go, Tell my secrets to, In my room." – The Beach Boys
Benaroya encountered her first source of inspiration, Tom of Finland, during her undergraduate education at MICA. Finland’s work includes unrelentingly erotic sketches, highlighting the most bulging, rippling, proudest form of the Gay male depiction. His work marks a turning point, being one of the first artists to create a space for the erotic genre.
Soon after Benaroya discovered Karl Wisrum's alternative take on art history at the RISD Museum. Wisrum utilizes the distortive line art, bold color palettes, and caricaturistic humor associated with comic art as a means to contribute to the art historical conversation.
In combining these inspirations, Benaroya arrived at her niche: A series of works that allows for queer representation to enter a space that the traditional, hypermasculine form dominates. It’s humorous, flamboyant, bold and elegant all at once. In a way, it’s androgynous, but in the sense that it combines the utmost of femininity and masculinity into one.
