Delicate Comfort is an art piece that explores the interplay between structure and fluidity, masculinity and femininity, adulthood and childhood, intimacy and transgression. The piece is constructed using steel rods that are hinged together to form and function as a corset-like structure. The rods are shaped and positioned to mimic the rib-cage and vertebrate, while the white lace strung through the flattened ends of each rod adds a sense of delicacy and humanity to the structure.

 

The piece is activated through a series of photos that feature a toned male model wearing the structure. The model’s body is simultaneously restricted and feminized by the structure, but there is also an element of comfort and tenderness conveyed by the way the inverted spine runs down the center of his body, and the lace that drapes from the structure like flesh from bone.

 

The photos of the model wearing the structure are intimate and familial in nature, adding an additional layer of tenderness to the piece. The structure dangles in front of the photos and the lace, left untied and open, almost insinuates an invitation to put the corset on and take it off with the help of another person. Given that the model is the artist’s little brother, the act of helping the model put on the corset and tying it to his body almost blends into memories of playing dress up as little kids. Further, the fact that the structure was originally designed for the artist’s own body, but fits the male model so well, speaks to the idea of finding comfort in communion and the communal potential for transgressing binary gender roles.

 

It is undeniable that there is potential for the art piece to be read as sexual or violent with the use of cold and hard materials and the allusion to a constricting corset. Despite this potential, the delicacy and movement of the thin steel rods attached by white lace, as well as the familial and intimate nature of the photos of the model, add a sense of comfort and fluidity to the structure. Ultimately, the piece invites the viewer to question their assumptions about gender and the body, and to consider the potential for tenderness and intimacy in unexpected places.