Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Art
First Advisor
A.K.Burns
Academic Program Adviser
Steve Locke
Abstract
This thesis explores the intersection of queerness, erotics, and cultural memory through sculpture and installation. Drawing from personal experiences growing up in Pakistan, the work reclaims the female and queer body from shame, silence, and restriction, transforming traditional objects and domestic forms into sites of tenderness, resistance, and imagined freedom. Through materials such as wax, resin, concrete, PVA glue, and culturally charged substances including turmeric and chili powder, familiar objects are distorted and reimagined as vessels of healing, desire, and agency. Influenced by Audre Lorde’s understanding of the erotic as a transformative force, the work constructs a queer safe space where personal memory, inherited confinement, and speculative futures coexist.
Recommended Citation
Rani, Anam, "Queer Sandwich" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1566
