rae richards
they/them
Denver, CO, USA
rae is an artist and designer growing mutant objects that play with gender and sexuality. their interests range from queer theory and object-oriented ontology to industrial manufacturing processes and spirituality. rae has exhibited across the US and the EU.
“proto.trans: transing the prototype into a soft machine, an organic circuit board, a technobody without organs but with electric skin.
This work is an extension of the proto.trans series, which explores the transformation of wax into metal, metal into flesh, flesh into wax—a reflection on my transness and the biologies that are inscribed upon bodies. bioc(l)ock is a rumination about testosterone, time, and the construction of self, as I navigate the techno-biological landscape of transition.”
"bioc(l)ock", Sterling silver, acrylic, steel wire, spray paint, 2" x 2" x .6", 2024How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“The proto.trans series explores linkages of the body: the fleshy, wet materiality of the physical body, the body as a concept, and the body held in cyberspace. bioc(l)ock plays within the context of queer time and space, where hours blur together and the spirit is felt intimately in an embrace both feminine and masculine (without binary tensions). It reflects the overlaps between becoming whole and existing as multiple—an expansive ground where connections are limitless."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“My work is rooted in connection—literal, physical, spiritual, and emotional. Each work is an intentional weaving of queer, trans, and disability theory with fragments of internet culture, memes, political ideology, and my own spirit. These elements don’t just inform the process; they are integral to the work itself. I create bodily adornment that bridges seemingly disparate realms, forming networks of meaning that stretch across bodies, identities, and systems. Through this, I seek to reveal new relationships and possibilities, offering opportunities to engage with the work on multiple levels—intellectually, personally, emotionally, and politically. It’s through these layered connections that my practice steps into both old and new insights, challenging existing boundaries."
What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
"Home begins in my body—in all that lies imbedded beneath my skin. My trans queer white body that I call home. This body is both refuge and battleground, a layered sedimentation of privileges and wounds rooted in skin. Existing in this body and the world, I’ve come to feel the contradictions it holds: moving with ease in some spaces and feeling vulnerable in others. It is flesh attached to experiences—privileges that allow access and wounds that reveal the cost of visibility. These layers influence how I connect with others, revealing the ways we are all shaped by the bodies we inhabit. My body is a site of constant negotiation, where encounters range from harsh to sweet, yet each one reflects the complexity of belonging in a time and space largely defined by structures of settler colonialism. This body I call home is not fixed but fluid, sometimes evolving but always home."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Simon Leung
Anything else you would like to share about this work?
This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“bioc(l)ock is the first brooch in a forthcoming series that will be out later this year!"
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores