Exhibition views of Non-Binary Code, photos by Stacey Meineke.
Non-Binary Code
By Ben Cuevas
Curated by Aneesa Shami Zizzo
September 16, 2023–January 13, 2023
Open Saturdays, 1pm–4pm and by appointment
“There is no reason to assume that gender also ought to remain as two.”
—Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity
Non-Binary Code is an exploration of gender identity and coded meaning through fiber-based processes. By playing with the binary nature of the knit/purl stitchwork inherent to knitting, artist Ben Cuevas (they/them) translates the word “non-binary” into binary code. Working within this established matrix, Cuevas attributes the knit stitch to “1s” and the purl stitch to “0s,” creating a knitting pattern that forms the basis of each piece’s textural composition. The resulting objects embody a meditation on non-binary identity, mirroring Cuevas’ desire to transcend these binaries and recode the concept of gender, raising the central question: what if gender was possibility instead of destiny?
This symbolic, tactile abstraction of the word “non-binary” creates a pensive environment for viewers to consider gender identity both collectively and individually. Participants are encouraged to wear the provided white hooded coveralls and lounge in the interactive installation, neutralizing their own gender expression within a comfortable space designed for dialogue and contemplation. By inserting the body into the work, viewers become part of reconstructing how society perceives gender, a phenomenological re-coding of non-binary identity and gender itself.
Made entirely of acrylic fiber—amounting to works of acrylic on canvas—the wall hangings and installation nod to painterly mediums and subvert distinctions between fine art and craft. Knitting is perceived as a gendered medium, while the canvases play with varying degrees of revealing and concealing—a gesture familiar to many non-cis people in explorations of gender identity. Giant stitches with acrylic yarn become like brush strokes, each a unit of artistic impulse, situated in a grid pattern much like Agnes Martin’s white grid paintings, which exemplify repetitive processes while resisting gendered assignations. The interactive installation composed of handknit pillows rests among the painterly wall hangings, further unraveling the boundaries between art and craft. Constructed using the same process as the wall hangings, the pillows lie arranged on a painter’s drop cloth, perhaps suggesting the objects themselves or the activated lounge is a work in progress, much like society’s acceptance of non-binary identities.
This exhibition is a queering of many binary hierarchies, subverting distinctions between art and craft, digital and handmade, male and female, the visible and invisible. Through its dialectics and pluralities, the work aims to facilitate conversation and representation, creating a space where non-binary and gender-nonconforming people can feel seen and centered. Non-Binary Code exists both within and beyond binary structures, much in the same way non-binary gender identity exists within and in opposition to binary gender, offering a space to define oneself on one’s own terms.
Public Programs
About Ben Cuevas
Born in Southern California in 1987, Ben Cuevas (they/them) is an artist whose work is rooted in concepts of otherness and intersectionality, inspired by their queer, non-binary, HIV-positive, and Latinx lived experience. Cuevas received their B.A. in mixed media, installation, and photography at Hampshire College in 2010. Cuevas’ work has been shown across the US with exhibitions held at The Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, Museum of the City of New York, The Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York City, and others. Several books and publications feature Cuevas’s work, such as DUETS: Ben Cuevas & Annie Sprinkle in Conversation, published by Visual AIDS; Queer Threads: Crafting, Identity, and Community, edited by John Chaich and Todd Oldham. Acclaimed as a public speaker, Cuevas has given talks at institutions including, Brown University, Ohio State University, The Museum of Sex (NYC), and the Fire Island Artist Residency.
www.bencuevas.com
@bencuevas_art
About Aneesa Shami Zizzo
Aneesa Shami Zizzo (she/her) is an artist and arts-based researcher in Los Angeles upcycling materials to create fiber art. Her work references the sublime and world mythologies to evoke a sense of the collective unconscious within her imagery. Zizzo holds Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in both Fiber and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute. She is the co-owner and director of Studio 203, an artist-run space in Los Angeles promoting fiber art, craft-based work and social practices.
www.aneesashami.com
@aneesashami