Jessica Campbell, Man Cave Decoration (Barenaked Lady), 2022
Yarn, tufting cloth, glue, collaged carpet, edging, pompoms, snaps, seam tape
38 × 36 × 3 inches
From the artist: In thinking about the Ruha Benjamin quote and my experiences over the past few years, I find myself constantly yearning for rest and the idea of a “room of one’s own,” a space for uninterrupted contemplation, creative expression, leisure, etc. Where we live in Wisconsin, I’ve noticed a phenomenon of man caves (particularly noticeable when we were looking at houses a few years ago). These tend to be in garages or basements, spaces that function like the space I long for, and then tend to be heterogeneously decorated: neon beer signs, tools, flags, freezers, trucker hats and posters all co-existing in a kind of unconsidered way. These also, in my experience, tend to be gendered/masculine spaces (why I’m using “man cave” instead of another term).