“Do Ask, Do Tell” by Skyler Chen

The colors, shadowing, and shape in this work by Skyler Chen immediately caught my eye. It also made me think of “Arranging Things” by Koren that we read for class this week. Chen seems very intentional in his arrangement of the fruit, the book, the plant, and even her arm in order to further the rhetoric. The subject is hiding behind her arm and the shadow it creates despite also opening her body up for the viewer to see. Reading the article about Chen and his work informs the viewer that Chen’s series is about communicating the discomfort around coming out as a queer person and what it means for a person’s sense of self. The symbolism of the fruit adds another element to analyze and contributes to the storytelling in the painting.

Link to image and article: https://www.booooooom.com/2021/09/03/do-ask-do-tell-by-artist-skyler-chen/