Artist
Every community owes it’s existence and vitality to the ancestors that walked before them - contributing their hopes, dreams, and energy to create the events that have led to this moment. Many were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave homes in search of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations that can be counted. Truth and acknowledgement are essential to building mutual respect and connection across barriers of heritage and perceived differences.
This effort begins by acknowledging what has been been buried by honoring the truth. We stand on the ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo People. We pay respects to their elders past and present. We acknowledge the Earth and her Animals that give us knowledge, sustenance and companionship. Please take a moment to consider the many forms of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together, here, today and join in excavating these truths so that we may build a more connected future.
Christopher M Tandy (b. 1984) is a Queer Northern California self-taught artist and educator. Identifying as an anti-disciplinary artist, they adopt methods for creating and thinking that are rooted in Queerness and stem from a rejection of being defined by discipline and/or output. Their practice and process are fluid, like the mercurial Queer space in the world around us. Using technology and traditional media in innovative ways, Tandy shares their vision, where, in fleeting moments, the veil thins, time blurs and mysteries are revealed. Their work serves as an invitation into this ephemeral world, giving us opportunity to discover new types of thought, language, connection, and understanding.
Tandy has contributed works to solo and group exhibitions at Glass Rice (CA), SOMA Arts Cultural Center (CA), The Magic Shack (CA), Art Helix (NY), Art Basel (FL), and most recently at SPRING/BREAK Art Show in NYC. Together, with their partner they run Blood Of A Fresh Kill, a bi-annual magazine which calls upon our Queer Ancestors to help us collectively disembowel the money-worshiping patriarchy so that we can build systems that are more equitable and not based on systematic control. Tandy was the recipient of a Quick Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation in 2020 and 2022. In the Spring of 2023 he will be an Artist in Residence at the Peter Bullough Foundation in Winchester, VA.
