Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Chris Canales-Cisneros

04 The Family Gossip: Stages of Rectification (3/3)

"Pity or Compassion" Part three of the triptych

“This work sits on the right of the triptych and serves as the last panel in the series, vaguely alluding to the pose in the Pieta, where Mary supports Jesus' body. This shows the body finally at peace and being either bandaged or unbandaged by another individual, with the peeled backings littered on the floor at the forefront. I wanted to make it so the hand could easily be mistaken as belonging to the body, but upon closer inspection: the thumb appears on the opposing side, meaning it must belong to a second party. This is symbolic of the bonds and relationships queer individuals form with others to find support and leaves us questioning whether the hand is there to aid or harm the body. The application of the coarse, textured ashes diminishes with each panel, giving the painting a lighter appearance and indicating the alleviation of a burden. The bandages carry the conflicting meaning of both self-acceptance and suppression of trans identity, depending on how they act upon the body in the panel being viewed. Ultimately, the series represents a cycle of wanting to remain true to my identity while also conforming to hetero-normative Christocentric standards for the sake of self-preservation.”