Emilie L. Gossiaux: Other-Worlding

  • Three upright white dogs dance around a central white cane maypole. They stand on a white circular pedestal that is covered in red, peach, and magenta flowers. Behind them are 8 light and dark green trees. Above them on the left is a grey/blue crescent moon, and on the top right a circular yellow sun.
    Install view of “White Cane Maypole Dance.” Credit: Hai Zhang
  • Three horizontally oriented framed drawings on a white gallery wall. They are done by ballpoint pen and crayon.
    Install shot of Emilie Gossiaux’s drawings. From Left to Right: “Dancing Again,” “Flower for London,” “Londons Dancing with Flowers.” Credit: Hai Zhang
  • Three white dogs stand upright around a white cane maypole. On the right, a dog holding a red leash looks over her shoulder right at us. They're among a field of red, pink, and magenta flowers, and a field of light and dark green trees. Behind them is a grey-blue crescent moon.
    Closeup of Emilie Gossiaux’s “White Cane Maypole Dance.” Credit: Hai Zhang
  • Sculpture of white dog standing on her hind legs, walking towards us while holding onto a yellow ribbon. She stands among a field of flowers and trees, and has a bright yellow sun above her
    Closeup of Emilie Gossiaux’s “White Cane Maypole Dance.” Credit: Hai Zhang
  • Sculpture of white dog standing on hind legs, with right arm reaching up to hold a purple ribbon. She is among a field of flowers and trees, and there is a crescent moon behind her.
    Closeup of Emilie Gossiaux’s “White Cane Maypole Dance.” Credit: Hai Zhang
  • Tip of white cane sculpture arising from a field of peach, red, and magenta flowers
    Closeup of Emilie Gossiaux’s “White Cane Maypole Dance.” Credit: Hai Zhang

I curated Emilie L. Gossiaux’s first institutional solo show at the Queens Museum, Other-Worlding. Gossiaux was selected from an open call as one of two 2022-2023 QM-Jerome Foundation Fellows who received $20,000, free studio space at the museum, mentorship from museum staff, and a solo show.

Gossiaux’s exhibition proposes an other world outside the confines of capitalism and ableism, where instead disability joy, agency, and love are paramount. Centering her guide dog London and the white cane in a series of drawings and a massive sculptural installation, Gossiaux exclaims disability pride and joy while also reframing interspecies relationships as an interdependence that is fundamentally nonhierarchical.

I worked with Gossiaux over the course of the year and supported her as she scaled up her practice and work, from ideation to completion. Together, we coordinated two touch tour experiences, a virtual visual description tour, and an artist talk. I crafted all text related to exhibition, wrote and recorded audio descriptions, coordinated production and dissemination of tactile graphics and braille didactics to Blind and low vision visitors, and created a touch station with sample sculptures.

Didactics:
Intro text and wall labels

Audio Descriptions:
1. White Cane Maypole Dance
2. Londons Dancing with Flowers
3. Flowers for London
4. Dancing Again

Artist + Curator conversation:

Select press coverage below:

NYTimes: Her Guide Dog Inspired Her Art. Now the lab Stars in a Museum Show

Hyperallergic: A Maypole Dance for Dogs in Queens

Rooted in Rights: Other-Worlding: An Interview with Artist Emilie Gossiaux

Artnews: The Defining Artworks of 2023

Wall Street Journal: Emilie L. Gossiaux and sonia louise davis. Reviews: Sensory Experiences at the Queens Museum

Smithsonian Magazine: New Exhibition Celebrates the Bond Between an Artist and Her Guide Dog

Financial Times: Ten Exhibitions for 2024

ArtReview: Emilie L. Gossiaux: Freedom of Movement

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