Denton is an MFA candidate with a concentration in Metal Design at East Carolina University. Her work explores themes of the body, trauma, and queerness. With an affinity for studio arts and literary techniques, Denton combines these elements to create what she refers to as "visual essays.” These interdisciplinary works are inspired by hermit crab essays—nonfiction works that adopt existing forms.
Denton Fae
she/her
Greenville, NC, USA
“In my artistic practice, I seek to examine the complexities of identity and experience through blending visual art with literary forms. My work engages with themes such as the body, trauma, queerness, and the intersection of women and violence. When creating “visual essays,” I often use familiar objects—in this case, a winter hat—to infuse them with new meanings, inviting viewers to reflect on deeply personal yet universal narratives such as childhood pain. This interdisciplinary approach deepens the dialogue surrounding these themes by encouraging a shared exploration of the ways our histories shape our identities and inform our ideologies.”
“For this piece, I needle-felted wool sourced from my childhood winter hat over an underlying metal vessel that houses an ice cube. As the piece is worn, the wearer’s body heat accelerates the melting of the ice, causing water to leak in tear-like patterns, creating the illusion that they are being ‘cried on.’ This tactile experience invites the wearer to confront their own emotions, aiding in the connection I aim to establish. This interaction explores how vulnerability inherent in youth becomes, in retrospect, a source of shame and discomfort. I have struggled with the tension between the purity of childhood naïveté and the harsh wisdom gained through lived experiences. This struggle has always left me feeling disconnected from my childhood self, prompting me to reexamine the meaning of objects that once held great significance to me.
While this piece invites connection, it also reflects my conflicting emotions about touch and intimacy. My entire life, I’ve struggled to find comfort in being hugged or touched—I’ve always known it should be soothing, yet it never is. This piece challenges wearers to confront that tension: the more they engage with it, the more it ‘cries.’ By wearing this piece, individuals are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and relationships with comfort and connection, confronting the sometimes painful intricacies of intimacy."
How does your work relate to the theme connection?
"Monster of My Youth", bronze, copper, wool, 4.5” x 7”, 2023What role does connection play in your creative process?
“Given the connection inherent in my work, engagement is inevitable, whether conceptually and emotionally through the themes I explore or directly through tactile experiences. By making the work interactive, I invite the wearer to connect to me through the tangible experience of awkwardness. The wearer is encouraged to reflect on the complex feeling of wanting comfort while simultaneously experiencing the awkwardness that often accompanies it. For those who have never encountered such discomfort, wearing this piece gives them the chance to experience the physical discomfort of a wet shirt, the cold brooch, and the constant weight on their shoulder. The goal is to make it impossible for wearers to escape the narratives within my work just as I am unable to escape my own life experiences. This role of connection is not merely a component of my creative process—it is its essence."
What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
“All of my artwork is mixed media, which I see as a queer medium in and of itself. People often compartmentalize art genres just as they do genders. By combining textiles and metals into one piece of art, I am challenging the norm of categorizing art into a single genre. Just as my queerness is undefinable, my artwork itself resists categorization.
I love exploring the entanglement between the softness of textiles and the rigidity of metal and how they mirror the fluidity of gender and identity, blurring the lines between what is traditionally seen as male or female, strong or delicate. This juxtaposition invites viewers to question their own perceptions and biases regarding gender and materiality. The tactile nature of textiles contrasts with the coldness of metal, creating a dialogue between comfort and discomfort, warmth and coldness, a duality that reflects the complexities of queer experiences, where tenderness and resilience coexist.”