In this text, I explore the potential for interwar European art to serve as a catalyst for the contemporary Queer rights movement. Drawing on the works of Remy Jungerman, LJ Roberts, michá cardenas, and Joar Nango, alongside the insights of Queer theorists Lisa Duggan and José Esteban Muñoz, I analyze my own artwork and the way I remix elements of both Russian Constructivism and Queer culture.
Amidst the current proliferation of anti-Queer violence and legislation, I highlight the importance of safeguarding Queer spaces and communities. To this end, I collect Queer objects and organize them into an arsenal of triangular and militaristic constructions. Building off the symbolic history of the pink and black triangles, I claim all triangles for Queer peoples and see them as the shape that will bring forward a Queer utopia.
However, history has shown that utopian ideals can quickly become threatened without proper protection. In response, I utilize the forms of battlefield fortifications to defend Queer spaces and their utopian potential. Through this approach, I aim to empower Queer communities and foster a brighter future for all.
","abstract_html":"<p>In this text, I explore the potential for interwar European art to serve as a catalyst for the contemporary Queer rights movement. Drawing on the works of Remy Jungerman, LJ Roberts, michá cardenas, and Joar Nango, alongside the insights of Queer theorists Lisa Duggan and José Esteban Muñoz, I analyze my own artwork and the way I remix elements of both Russian Constructivism and Queer culture.</p> <p>Amidst the current proliferation of anti-Queer violence and legislation, I highlight the importance of safeguarding Queer spaces and communities. To this end, I collect Queer objects and organize them into an arsenal of triangular and militaristic constructions. Building off the symbolic history of the pink and black triangles, I claim all triangles for Queer peoples and see them as the shape that will bring forward a Queer utopia.</p> <p>However, history has shown that utopian ideals can quickly become threatened without proper protection. In response, I utilize the forms of battlefield fortifications to defend Queer spaces and their utopian potential. Through this approach, I aim to empower Queer communities and foster a brighter future for all.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Davis, Alex"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Graduate School of Art","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lisa Bulawsky","Amy Hauft","Arny Nadler"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-05-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:12:17Z","subjects":["queer","Russian constructivism","utopia","materiality","revolution","queer theory","modernism","book ban","activist art","found object","Art and Design"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/ff5m-d841"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.7936/ff5m-d841","href":"https://doi.org/10.7936/ff5m-d841","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/16","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lisa Bulawsky","Amy Hauft","Arny Nadler"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Davis, Alex"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Graduate School of Art"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["queer","Russian constructivism","utopia","materiality","revolution","queer theory","modernism","book ban","activist art","found object","Art and Design"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/16"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/ff5m-d841"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this text, I explore the potential for interwar European art to serve as a catalyst for the contemporary Queer rights movement. Drawing on the works of Remy Jungerman, LJ Roberts, michá cardenas, and Joar Nango, alongside the insights of Queer theorists Lisa Duggan and José Esteban Muñoz, I analyze my own artwork and the way I remix elements of both Russian Constructivism and Queer culture.
Amidst the current proliferation of anti-Queer violence and legislation, I highlight the importance of safeguarding Queer spaces and communities. To this end, I collect Queer objects and organize them into an arsenal of triangular and militaristic constructions. Building off the symbolic history of the pink and black triangles, I claim all triangles for Queer peoples and see them as the shape that will bring forward a Queer utopia.
However, history has shown that utopian ideals can quickly become threatened without proper protection. In response, I utilize the forms of battlefield fortifications to defend Queer spaces and their utopian potential. Through this approach, I aim to empower Queer communities and foster a brighter future for all.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Queering Up for Battle"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lisa Bulawsky","Amy Hauft","Arny Nadler"],"dc:creator":["Davis, Alex"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In this text, I explore the potential for interwar European art to serve as a catalyst for the contemporary Queer rights movement. Drawing on the works of Remy Jungerman, LJ Roberts, michá cardenas, and Joar Nango, alongside the insights of Queer theorists Lisa Duggan and José Esteban Muñoz, I analyze my own artwork and the way I remix elements of both Russian Constructivism and Queer culture.
Amidst the current proliferation of anti-Queer violence and legislation, I highlight the importance of safeguarding Queer spaces and communities. To this end, I collect Queer objects and organize them into an arsenal of triangular and militaristic constructions. Building off the symbolic history of the pink and black triangles, I claim all triangles for Queer peoples and see them as the shape that will bring forward a Queer utopia.
However, history has shown that utopian ideals can quickly become threatened without proper protection. In response, I utilize the forms of battlefield fortifications to defend Queer spaces and their utopian potential. Through this approach, I aim to empower Queer communities and foster a brighter future for all.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_visual_art/16"],"dc:identifier.doi":["https://doi.org/10.7936/ff5m-d841"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["queer","Russian constructivism","utopia","materiality","revolution","queer theory","modernism","book ban","activist art","found object","Art and Design"],"dc:title":["Queering Up for Battle"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Graduate School of Art"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:12:17Z"}