Maxwell Davis

MFA 2024, Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM

Performing for the male gaze? I heard male gays. For better or worse, this word play has defined my experience as a queer, trans artist. My work is built around the concept of American masculinity and its modes of cultural production through the lens of utopia and queer futurity. Cyborg theory informs my practice as an adornment-based artist as I explore the intersection of gender and liminality. My relationship to men and masculinity has served as the backbone for these practices, as I’ve had to unpack what it means to love men, be seen as a man, and live with three decades of unfettered internet access that has given me an all too intimate answer to the question: are men okay? 

"Ride At Your Own Risk," 2024, plywood, cushion foam, spandex, readymade chair runners. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Ride At Your Own Risk," 2024, plywood, cushion foam, spandex, readymade chair runners. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_01," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, aluminum, spray paint, nylon, toy capsules, Cyber Semen™, silicone, PVC, brass. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_01," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, aluminum, spray paint, nylon, toy capsules, Cyber Semen™, silicone, PVC, brass. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_02," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, zinc, nylon, zip ties, aluminum, spray paint. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_02," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, zinc, nylon, zip ties, aluminum, spray paint. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_03," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, nickel, brass. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_03," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, nickel, brass. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_04," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, brass, aluminum, nylon, silicone. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Cyber_Glory_Hole_04," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, brass, aluminum, nylon, silicone. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Waiting... Bottom Text," front view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, collage, nylon, zinc, denim, astro turf. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Waiting... Bottom Text," front view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, collage, nylon, zinc, denim, astro turf. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Waiting... Bottom Text," back view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, collage, nylon, zinc, denim, astro turf. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Waiting... Bottom Text," back view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, collage, nylon, zinc, denim, astro turf. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Real Man Seeks Rocco’s Sausage in the Home Depot Parking Lot," 2024, diamond plate aluminum, plywood, acrylic, powdercoated copper, zinc. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Real Man Seeks Rocco’s Sausage in the Home Depot Parking Lot," 2024, diamond plate aluminum, plywood, acrylic, powdercoated copper, zinc. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Two Skeumorphs: Click Now to Find Real™ Men Near You," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, Cyber Semen™. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Two Skeumorphs: Click Now to Find Real™ Men Near You," 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, Cyber Semen™. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Mixed Signals (Men Working? I Sure Hope They Are)," installation view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, anodized titanium, reflective tape, denim, nylon construction vests, cushion foam, plywood. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

"Mixed Signals (Men Working? I Sure Hope They Are)," installation view, 2024, powdercoated copper, acrylic, anodized titanium, reflective tape, denim, nylon construction vests, cushion foam, plywood. Dimensions variable. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch

 

Maxwell Davis

Philadelphia based artist Maxwell Davis is engaged in craft based mediums combining jewelry, fibers, collage, and found objects to build an interdisciplinary, adornment-based practice that explores the intersections of gender, liminality, and absurdity. Being a gay, trans man who has spent the last 30 years online, he often utilizes cyborg feminism as an inquiry point to the questions of why men are “like that”, of which his identity affords him an all-too-intimate insight. Existing in the thresholds between our bodies and technology, his practice asks viewers to question the permeability of these boundaries, and laugh at the absurdity of the symbiotic translation loop between the internet and masculine culture.  

Davis received his BFA from Syracuse University in 2022, and MFA from Tyler School of Art in Metals/Jewelry/CAD/CAM in 2024. His work has been exhibited internationally for Munich Jewelry Week, and locally in a variety of group shows. He has been the recipient of the Future Faculty Fellowship at Temple University, and a SOURCE undergraduate research grant in Syracuse, NY. As a teaching artist, he has been running jewelry making workshops since 2021, and has been teaching in the Metals/Jewelry/CAD/CAM program at Tyler since 2022.