Arts Thread

Jai Sallay-Carrington is a figurative ceramic sculptor creating works about human identities, behaviour and emotions using anthropomorphic creatures. Reflecting on their queer and trans-non-binary gender identity, Jai creates sculptures which challenge and analyze the dominant heteronormative and cisgendered society and promote those identities which exist outside of those norms . They question the role that gender, sexuality and desire have in forming an individual’s character and placement within their culture. Jai’s sculptures speak to a feeling of otherness, but not necessarily of physical traits that can be immediately viewed by the public. These identities exist within, they are either shared or kept a secret. The zoomorphic qualities of their sculptures shed light on those human characteristics hidden from the naked eye. As each animal comes with its own unique qualities, as well as the myths and stories associated with them, when anthropomorphized, their addition to the human form creates a deeper understanding of that individual’s personality and experiences. Jai’s sculptures work to normalize and celebrate those LGBTQIA+ individuals who do not fit into those strict societal norms which aim to exclude and demonize them.