Though many of the people Brodell discovered received public attention for their perceived “oddity” or violation of laws concerning gender performance, Brodell shifts the narrative away from unmitigated rejection or punishment. Instead, they balance their interpretation to share the creative, joyful ways Queer individuals throughout history have carved out lives for themselves within social structures designed to discourage or criminalize their identities. Drawing upon descriptive accounts and primary sources, Brodell creates real or imagined portraits of their subjects in the style of Catholic holy cards: handheld, devotional images of saints offering guidance that are commonly shared among friends and family. This aesthetic not only references the artist’s own upbringing in the Church, but it serves as a subversive act that venerates people who were abused by religious institutions during their lifetimes.

Ria Brodell is a non-binary trans artist, educator and author based in Boston. Brodell attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University. Brodell has had solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, is a recipient of an Artadia Award, a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship and an SMFA Traveling Fellowship. Brodell’s work has appeared in the Guardian, ARTNews, The Boston Globe, New American Paintings, and Art New England, among other publications. Brodell’s book, Butch Heroes, was released in 2018 via MIT Press.

Ria Brodell: Butch Heroes was organized by FAM’s Terry and Eva Herndon Assistant Curator Brooke “Eli” Yung.