gay son and thot daughter
October 9–20, 2024*
The Commons
Barney Building, 34 Stuyvesant St.
Andrei Barrett and Imaan Deen
Opening Reception October 9, 5–7 PM
Sourced from the viral internet trend in which street interviewers approach individuals and ask, “Would you rather have a gay son or thot daughter?” the title of this exhibition references the homophobic and sexist structures of contemporary culture. Primarily asked by straight men, these two identities are positioned against one another under the social standards of male heterosexuality. Embodying these two archetypes, Andrei Barrett (gay son) and Imaan Deen (thot daughter) respond to these social hierarchies through appropriation and objectification. Recontextualizing popular imagery and objects, they resist the representations formed against them by Western masculinity. Instead, through their use of painting, drawing, printmaking, and found objects, they have formed an alternative visual language that subverts and rejects this heteronormative gaze.
*Barney Building exhibitions are on view to members of the NYU community and sponsored visitors. Only Opening Receptions are open to the general public.
