Katie Jung at the Atelier Circulaire, May 2024
Katie Jung is the recipient of the 5th Louis-Pierre Bougie Grant for Emerging Printamaking Artists. Her 12-month research-creation residency began in April 2024.
“The project Celestial Undies explores the cultural significance of everyday underwear, drawing inspiration from my personal experiences growing up Mormon and my queer reality.Through collaboration and print making, I explore underwear as technologies of power that shape or map our bodies. Celestial Undies is motivated by story telling, but it is centrally interested in exploring possible parallels between queer and Mormon underwear. Both communicate intimacy and function, and both are technologies of power that shape or map our bodies. Mormons receive their “temple garments” as a coming of age ritual that signifies celestial membership in the church and community. But it is also common for young Mormons to cruise each other by looking for temple underwear lines; in this sense they operate like gay hankies. In both cases, underwear mark subcultural membership; but while Mormons’ use is around purity and faith, for queers underwear can be gender-affirming, used to strap or pack and in that way it is also sacred.”
Katie Jung is a Montréal-based (She/her // They/Them) interdisciplinary artist. Her practice uses community space and community collaboration as a forum for creative engagement. Katie graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelors of Fine Art, double Major in Photography and Film Production and has always incorporated sculpture, installation, performance, zine making, weaving and even baking to challenge the boundaries of lens-based media. Her current art practice is rooted in collective organizing, intervention and social change.