10. Am I that Name?, September 22, 2022, Melton Gallery exhibition video, duration: 1:25 by Shelby

Discovery

Videos

Am I that Name? explores the complex and fluid nature of gender and identity in an often discriminatory, binary world. This work is a researched-based visual diary into Queer theory and self/selves. The collection challenges the normative hierarchical power structure of gender and sexuality through pictogram-inspired figurative constructions and the queer use of everyday materials and objects such as industrial equipment, hardware, stage sets, and decorative wallpaper.

UCO dance students created contemporary compositions exploring themes of gender and Queer inspired by Shelby Head's exhibition at Melton Gallery. Congratulations and appreciation to Carrie Kouts, Alexander Olivier, UCO dancers, and UCO College of Fine Arts and Design for this stunning performance.

Audio

Sculptor and installation artist Richard Zimmerman made a sound installation for the series. He recorded five tracks, one for each sound from his composition. The composition requires five separate speakers using five iPods and two amplifiers to create a soundscape.

Sample soundscape by Richard Zimmerman for the collection

Shelby Head
10. Am I that Name?, September 22, 2022, Melton Gallery exhibition video, duration: 1:25
Mixed Media

Am I that Name? is a site-specific installation that challenges gender and sexuality hierarchies through queer theory and personal narrative. Using cast plastic figures, steel plates, wallpaper, and video, the work resists fixed definitions, offering queerness as fluid and elastic. Rooted in the artist’s journey after her daughter came out as transgender, the installation becomes a collection of possibilities—educational, political, and deeply personal.

Other Work From Shelby Head

05. Beyond the Whitewash Exhibition July 7, 2023 by Shelby Head

See all artwork from Shelby Head

Shelby Head

Providence, RI

Other Work From Shelby Head

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