The disorientation of memorylessness, as well as the nonlinear experience of PTSD, informs how I approach composition, fragmentation, and absence. Memory and its fragmentation form the basis of my work. I construct layered narratives of intimacy, resistance, and survival. I treat the gaps in memory not as empty voids, but as spaces marked by intensity. They are haunted by the unknown past and open to my own reimagined future.
These elements serve as carriers of lived experience, indexing traces of queer life that are often overlooked or erased. I use heirlooms, photographs, and other significant objects to shift my work between documentation and invention, exploring what resists legibility. The continual oppressive effects of religiosity drive my work as I construct visual spaces where queer life can be seen, felt, and sustained, without conforming to dominant narratives of coherence or visibility.
Grace McCoy (b. 1994 Tahlequah, Oklahoma) currently lives and works in El Paso, TX. They earned their BFA in studio art from Northeastern State University after retiring from their career as a ballet dancer and is currently completing their MFA at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). Their work investigates the dynamics of butch and femme lesbians, challenging heteronormative norms by exploring queer identity and partnership through the lens of queer failure, informed by queer gender theory and the complexities of intersectionality within queer communities. They have been influenced by queer religious trauma, and power dynamics and abuse within religious institutions. They have participated in many group shows across the country, as well as a solo show at FemmeX in Columbia, SC. As an educator, they integrate dance and visual arts, teaching at performing arts schools and universities across the country.
Recent accolades include a solo show at La Mecha Contemporary, receiving the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for their thesis work at the School of Visual Arts, and receiving the James Bernard Haggarty Scholarship from the Canopy Program at NYC Crit Club. Upcoming residencies include the Vermont Studio Center.
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