If I Would Have Did, I Would Have Done
Arts Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX (2023)
Solo Exhibition
If I Would Have Did, I Would Have Done is an interdisciplinary exhibition of new works by Denton-based artist Joshua Steven Bryant. The artworks are a continuation of Bryant’s research on the intersection of queerness, disability, and community. The show is a blend of paintings, sculptures, and digital work. Featuring objects at varying degrees of manipulation, they use the domestic as a locale to consider the function of a queer body within the “American Dream.” Formally, the artist uses intuitive processes to compose with pops of texture and color as a mirror to how they must adjust their identity to each space in order to create a sense of comfort. Conceptually, this introspective continuation highlights the intersection of Joshua’s idealism, egotism, and regret while reviewing how a community might look free from the pressure of mastery, preconceptions, and expectations. Through these works, Bryant offers found and constructed objects the same empathy and grace they offer themself while learning and unlearning who they’ve been and might be. The art is meant to be met with whatever the viewer is willing to consider and accept as a purposeful correlation to Joshua’s own experience of observing people decide how they might acknowledge their agency as a queer person. Taking lessons from their research, experience, and community, Joshua Steven Bryant imagines a sort of utopia while asking questions about their own ability to engage in a meaningful way.