Kris Mendoza: Communion Closing Reception

Join Kris Mendoza on May 25 for a closing reception celebrating Mendoza‘s first solo exhibition, on view May 2-25, 2024 at Aux Gallery.

Communion is an ongoing body of photographs that explore spaces of refuge within a queer community. The title, Communion, is a reference to the intimate exchanges captured in the work. Last summer, Kris Mendoza started creating photographs with a simple set of parameters: they could only use natural light, close friends, not strangers, incorporate the natural environment and work exclusively in black and white. Initially, these parameters were heavily influenced by the works of twentieth-century artists, George Platt Lynes and PaJaMa, with whom they shared a spiritual connection through their careful attention to light, form and space. Perhaps most meaningful is the personal nature of the photographs. Likewise, they share the desire of finding meaning within their own experiences and relationships, pulling from these references as a means of exploring refuge through community and its perennial relevance to queer life.

The people featured in the images: Johnny Williams, Jason Pérez, Liony García, Peter Redmond, Long Cheng, Kyle Sullivan, Nico Fernandez-Kiray, Sammy Eath

— Kris Mendoza