intaglio etching and aquatint; 10×10”, image 6×6”

“My print was made during a transitional part of my gender journey, where I learned the importance of queer community. I was reliant on how my family members wanted me to express myself, and as I transitioned, I found chosen family to encourage me to be myself. This piece is, in a way, my attempt at being that queer community for my past self, reassuring them that it’s okay to make your own dresses and pave your own way.”

ARTIST BIO: Ben Krampitz is an illustrative printmaker, currently attending Kent State University. Ben primarily works in intaglio, screen print, and film photography, with a concentration in design-oriented compositions that blend the uncanny with the comforting. Their work explores the gender binary as a gender queer individual, and often includes commentary on beauty standards and outward perception of the body.