Neelie

I make art about a girl stuck in a pickle—literally. In paintings and sculptures, the pickle is her suit, a disguise, a cover-up. It’s how I’ve often felt as an aging gay woman: visible but muffled, armored yet exposed, caught between hiding and standing out. The girl’s world is weird, funny, gently absurd, and a little sad—just like real life. These works play with the idea of being squeezed into roles that don’t quite fit, and finding small joys in any way. These works speak to queerness, societal pressure, and the complicated act of existing authentically in a world that often wants you pickled, not whole.

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