Inspired by materials in the Leather Archive & Museum’s David Grieger Collection, Distance is Not Material is an exploration of queer fantasy, desire, and loss.
Withdrawing into seclusion after testing positive for HIV in the early 90’s, Houston area artist, erotic illustrator, and drag performer — David Grieger — exchanged hundreds of hand-written and typed letters, erotic drawings, and photographs with men responding to classified ads placed in convenience store muscle-magazines. Based on an extended correspondence between Grieger and a bodybuilder dubbed “Lord Richard,” this installation transforms their exchange into an altar of sexual worship and queer mourning.
See full letter transcription here.