SWAK

A lifelong lover of graffiti art, Christine made SW AK a labor of love — a chance to let loose and fully explore color, texture, and queer symbolism. The title is an acronym for “Sealed With A Kiss.” The composition centers on two “S”s interlocking like lips, with the remaining letters of the acronym trailing off, inverted from one another. The piece is meant to be touched and rotated, revealing the many LGBTQ+ symbols woven throughout. Christine chose a wall as the work’s vehicle in response to the recent removal of the “T” and “Q+” from New York’s Stonewall National Monument — a site honoring the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement — an erasure of transgender people and queer history. Yet through that hurt, queer joy prevails: a queer arm bursts through the wall with flair. The pink inverted triangle, once used by the Nazis to mark and dehumanize imprisoned queer men during WWII, is reclaimed here as a symbol of power, strength, and pride. Christine nods to queer and ally artists throughout, including street artist Jeremy Novy, Lady Gaga, and Chappell Roan. Splattered paint recalls Seattle’s Gum Wall, recently visited by Christine and their wife, while the exposed earth beyond the wall reflects a deeply held belief: that the world is inherently queer, and the hope that all queer people will feel free to live as their truest, most authentic selves. Woven throughout are references to Christine’s children — a promise held in the work itself: you are seen, you are loved, and you are celebrated for being exactly who you are. xoxo