Humanoids and Human Vice: A Look Into the Art of Kylee Jo
"The Male Graze," 2018, acrylic, ink, wood, fabric, carpet, beet juice, Tazmanian Devil mirror, 84" x 60" Despite our shared preference for the west coast, I first met Kylee while I was still in Florida and attending college. Having been her classmate at University of Florida, I felt privileged that I was able to watch her creative process unfold in our shared studio periods. Kylee made compelling drawings, paintings, and installations throughout college and would often speak out about uncomfortable and omnipresent issues such as the male gaze and polarized gender roles, which she preferred to address with levity and humor. At one point during our overlapping college career, she painted a photorealistic man with his back turned to the viewer. He sported a cowboy hat, a moustache unrivaled in size and thickness, and showed off a very bare ass. This painting, cleverly titled "The Male Graze," commemorates a photo from a magazine called Playgirl (a spinoff o
