At HAIR + NAILS from Nov. 5, 2022 through Dec. 15th, 2022: It’s My House, a solo exhibition of new paintings and sculpture by Chicago-based artist Moises Salazar Tlatenchi. Salazar’s second solo show with the gallery.

In the artist’s words:
“It’s My House is a celebration of survival and queer liberation. It’s a show for the kweens, like me, that wanted dolls instead of toy guns. It’s a show for all the children that were reprimanded for wanting something that wasn’t for boys/girls. It’s a space to reflect on the lasting effects of our gendered upbringing and defiantly imagine our own visions of play, familial bonds, and identity.
Using the common children’s game “playing house” as inspiration, the exhibition challenges outdated ideals rooted in traditional family dynamics. “Playing house” is a game universally played across different cultures and communities. It’s a form of make believe where players take on the roles of a nuclear family. Common roles include parents, children, a newborn, and pets. The game often involves toys reflecting domestic settings such as, playhouses, kitchens, and driving. It’s My House highlights the social pressure that we experience when we are subjugated so young with rigid ideals of gender and familial expectation.
It’s My House highlights how damaging it can be for queer children when we are forced into molds by gender-based marketing. Using altered children’s toys, paintings of family photographs, and images of provocative figures in settings of play, the exhibition honors the anguish we as queer folks endure and celebrates the life we achieve when we overcome these hardships.”
— Moises Salazar