Distance is not Material

Distance is not Material

Opening reception: Sunday, December 10, 2023

Inspired by materials in the David Grieger Collection at the Leather Archives & Museum, Distance is Not Material presents an exploration of queer fantasy, desire, and vibrant survival, as much as it is an altar for sexual worship and the commemoration of queer loss. During the 1990s, Houston area artist, erotic illustrator, and drag performer David Grieger (1955-1994) withdrew into seclusion after testing positive for HIV. Over the next few years he produced hundreds of handwritten letters and notes, erotic drawings, photographs and crude image scans with men who responded to the classified ads he placed in convenience store muscle- magazines.

Between June 12, 1992 and December 1993, Grieger exchanged letters with a bodybuilder he dubbed “Sir Richard.” Like all of David’s men, they never met. Their fantasies remained on the page. But as Sir Richard wrote to David, “distance is not material.” With an installation featuring graphite drawings by Joshua Rains, video projection by Dan Foley , and letters from the collection, Distance is Not Material breathes renewed life into their exchange.