A Room of One's Own

Mark Mann is a Norfolk-based artist who uses the seductive qualities of ceramics and textiles to explore queer identity self-expression. In this exhibition, inspired by the domestic interiors created by men in a time before the legalisation of homosexuality, floral prints, ceramic tiles and carefully curated upholstery weave through the casts, drawing out a history of queer censorship and public punishment. Together, the works use the visual language of interior decor, so often dismissed as mere window-dressing, to create a show which is equal parts beguiling and compelling.

The phrase 'a room of one's own' may have been popularised by Virginia Wolf, but the words were originally written by the writer Lytton Strachey in a love letter to the painter Dominic Grant, both members of the Bloomsbury set. These men yearned for a space which they could define on their own terms, away from the prying eyes of a hostile heteronormative world. In a time before the decriminalisation of homosexuality, domestic interiors were a canvas upon which queer individuals might curate their identity: domestic objects and decor offered a stage for queer self-expression.

'For this exhibition, I wanted to create a collection of works inspired by the bravery of the queer interior,' says Mark. 'The meaning for me is very much in the materials I use: I enjoy the idea that I use finely-crafted facades to conceal ugly realities within my design work.' The contrast between the soft furnishings and the hard histories they embody is deliberately disarming. As this exhibition shows, the classical body has long been a place for queer desire. But by bringing the classical home, Mark brings into focus how an aesthetic inspired and framed by the antique provided a locus for queer identity and visibility at this very particular juncture of queer history. And in this show, Mark's art ensures that history is no longer hidden behind closed doors.

Exhibition works are available for purchase through Gray Area Gallery.