Work samples
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Still from UnboxingPerforming "Unboxing #1" as part of Queer.Futures.Past at Current Gallery, November 2023 Performance opportunities continued to be limited in 2022, but working with Queer.Futures.Past to present a new original performance, "Unboxing #1" to a full house at Current Gallery was invigorating, and helped set the stage for a whole new series of performance pieces in 2023.
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Ad for Lost Weekend conversation with Grace LaveryMy series of public conversations continued in 2022 with conversation with author Grace Lavery as part of Greedy Reads' Lost Weekend literary festival. Other public conversations included interviewing Mark Alice Durant about his new book about Maya Deren, and an online event with RB Mertz about their memoir Burning Butch, hosted by the Ivy Bookshop.
About Rahne
Rahne Alexander is an intermedia artist and writer from Baltimore, Maryland. She is a 2021 graduate of the Intermedia+Digital Arts MFA at UMBC, and a 2021 Baker Artist Prize Awardee. Her works in video, performance, music, and painting have been exhibited across the U.S. and around the world, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Tephra Institute of Contemporary… more
Sinéad O'Connor Performances
Before Sinéad O'Connor's untimely death in 2023, I performed a tribute set at Current Space as part of Summer ATP, a ten-minute-one-time-only-band production event. Working with longtime collaborators Dominique Diglio on guitar and Andrea Shearer on drums, my tribute culminated with an homage to O'Connor's notorious Saturday Night Live appearance, in which I tore a hardcover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in half with my bare hands.
After her death, I performed a solo set of Sinéad O'Connor's songs at Shakemore, a long-running alt-music festival in Western Maryland. In addition I appeared at Shakemore as a guest vocalist with the Go-Pills, performing Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts" and with the festival closing Half Japanese tribute band, performing "Charmed Life."
2023 Exhibitions
Although 2023 ultimately turned out to be a year of cocooning and artistic reassessment for me, it started off strong, showing visual art in three exhibitions simulataneously.
- Cast/Recast, which showed at Mason Exhibitions in Arlington, VA, re-opened for a second run at Gillespie Gallery of Art at GMU Fairfax, showing my tapestry "I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You."
- The first iteration of "I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" showed at Monmouth University as part of the exhibition Aging and the Lived Experiences of Transgender and Gender Non-conforming (T/GNC) Older Adults: Narratives through Art.
- I also had new work in Forecast at Tephra ICA in Reston and as part of Sue Wrbican's Buoyant Oracle project.
Curation & Public Conversation
2023 was full of jurying and curatorial opportunities, and I was honored to produce a range of events ranging from literary events and conversations about public art to curating the performance stage for the 2023 MSAC Triennial at Maryland Art Place.
- When Public Art is More Than Sculpture: Arts Roundtable featuring Se Jong Cho, Graham Coreil-Allen and Sylvia Jones (Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, February): Curated and hosted a lively discussion about the many forms and TK of public art
- Vivid: A Trans Femme and Queer-Led Group Exhibition (Gallery CA, March): Curation and artist talk hosting for a showcase of young trans artists
- Public Art in Baltimore: Practice, Curation and Collaboration, a discussion with Teri Henderson (Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, March): A second installment of public art conversation with the arts editor of the Baltimore Beat and author of Black Collagists
- Waverly Writers Salon (Peabody Heights, April): Curated a reading of writers based in Waverly to kick off the inaugural Waverly Book Festival
- MSAC Triennial performance stage (Maryland Art Place, May): Curated and hosted a evening of performance from artists across the state of Maryland for the 2023 MSAC Triennial, featuring performances by Liz Downing, Elizabeth Hill, MAD Dance, Rie Moore, Shana Oshiro, Pique Collective and Ramón Tasat
- Recycled Sculpture Contest juror (Montgomery Park Auditorium, November): One of three artist jurors for Maryland Department of the Environment's annual Recycled Sculpture Contest for high school aged artists
Publications
2023
Publications in 2023 included:
* "VFW Hall" in Flux (forthcoming in print in 2023)
* "Making Fajitas in Manasquan" in Beach Badge #1
* "You're Never Too Old To Throw Up In A Neptune Bathroom" in Beach Badge #2
* "Twilight For Us All" in Light Ekphrastic, Feb 2022
Ongoing articles in BmoreArt, Jennifer Magazine, and UMBC Magazine
2022
My chapbook, Heretic to Housewife, continued to sell its second pressing and provided opportunities for online literary events throughout 2021.
I was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
This kicked off a number of literary events throughout 2021, including a reading and artist talk as part of Urban Ivy's anniversary celebration and a panel at OutWrite entitled "LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News." I was also a guest panelist at the virtual version of Barrelhouse's annual Writers Connect conference, as part of the "Cross-Genre: Stay in Your Lane(s): Writing and Publishing in Multiple Genres" panel.
In October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy.
In November, the Enoch Pratt Free Library invited me to participate in their Book Chat with Pratt online interview series. I chatted with Lo Smith, with a focus on November as Trans Awareness Month, and the conversation was broadcast and archived on YouTube and Facebook Live.
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Heretic to HousewifeMy chapbook, Heretic to Housewife, continued to sell its second pressing and provided opportunities for online literary events throughout 2021.
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Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital adI was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
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Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital adI was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
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Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital adI was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
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OutWrite panel: LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic NewsLiterary events throuh 2021 included a reading and artist talk as part of Urban Ivy's anniversary celebration and a panel at OutWrite entitled "LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News."
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Barrelhouse's Writers Connect conference artworkI was also a guest panelist at the virtual version of Barrelhouse's annual Writers Connect conference, as part of the "Cross-Genre: Stay in Your Lane(s): Writing and Publishing in Multiple Genres" panel.
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Digital Ad for Riot Women event at Red Emma'sIn October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy.
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Rahne & Liz Flyntz discuss Riot Women at Red Emma'sIn October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy. Instagram story screengrab from Michael Farley.
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Book Chat with Pratt digital adIn November, the Enoch Pratt Free Library invited me to participate in their Book Chat with Pratt online interview series. I chatted with Lo Smith, with a focus on November as Trans Awareness Month, and the conversation was broadcast and archived on YouTube and Facebook Live.
Other Performances & Readings
I performed numerous other times this year, performing scroll readings, original music, and even a live reading of the Poe story "Ms. Found In A Bottle."
- Spellbinder Salon (The Crown, January): original music
- An Evening of Tom Petty (Zissimo's, February): cover music performed with Dominique Diglio and Christina Reitemeyer
- CityLit Panel: Queer Possibility: writing catastrophe and imagining what comes next, with Tonee Moll, Unique Robinson, Megan Milks, and Imani Spence (Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, March): Panel discussion and new original scroll reading performance
- Trans [Re]incarnation release party, with E. Kerr and Sylvia Jones (The Crown, April): Reading recently published works and an original scroll reading performance
- Waverly Writers Salon (Peabody Heights, April): Curated a panel of Waverly Writers for the new Waverly Book Festival and reading recently published works and an original scroll reading performance
- The Hopkins Review Walking Folio launch (The Ivy Bookshop, May): Reading from my new essay in the Hopkins Review
- Doomsday 2023 (Greedy Reads Fells Point, May): Live and streaming reading of Poe's "MS. Found in a Bottle" as part of a 24-hour Poe reading celebration hosted by Greedy Reads and the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre
- 50'♀, with Home Body, Manners Manners and Glorian (The Crown, June): Original music
- Charm City Kitty Club (Theater Project, July): Original music and a new original scroll reading performance in two-night celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Charm City Kitty Club
- Tarot performance (Atomic Books, August): Tarot readings in honor of Eamon Espey's new tarot deck, Second Sight
Sick Transit
I completed my MFA in Intermedia + Digital Arts at UMBC in 2021. My thesis project, Sick Transit, a tripartite intermedia piece about medicine, mobility, and art-making within a mother/daughter relationship defined by multiple sclerosis and transsexuality.
Sick Transit is an exemplativist femmage, comprising a series of autobiographical monologic performances meditating on mobility, maternity, gender, feminism, and systems of healthcare in the relationship between two artists: the transsexual daughter of a devout Mormon who lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years.
The titular video performance is featured in Let’s Exchange, a streaming telethonic variety/talk show hosted by the artist interviewing more than two dozen Baltimore artists, and framed by Control Room, an installation replicating the artist’s pandemic studio. A supplementary internet radio show, featuring a playlist of related music, was featured on Carrie Fucile's Owls At Noon internet radio channel.
For the hardy, my MFA thesis defense was broadcast (and archived!) on Facebook Live.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit monologue stillA still from Sick Transit: monologue, the performance component of my MFA Thesis show, UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Let's Exchange stillA still from Sick Transit: Let's Exchange, the talk show component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Let's Exchange stillA still from Sick Transit: Let's Exchange, the talk show component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit (detail)A collaged image of my mother's artwork, used as a detail image in Sick Transit and as the cover image for the Owls At Noon playlist. This image is a "live collage," captured from a video still in which I filmed myself holding my mother's high school literary magazine to a light source and allowing her self-portrait to be seen through the page bearing her inspirational quote.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
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Sick Transit: Control Room detailA detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
Film & Video
Passed a nice milestone in 2021 in which my supercut video work was cited in Max Tohline's A Supercut of Supercuts: Aesthetics, Histories, Databases. Subsquently, Tohline published a list of the 20 Most Underrated Supercuts of All Time, and included my 2008 piece Equal+Opposite at number 11.
I also guest-hosted on several episodes of the Projection Booth podcast, including discussions of Witchhammer, The Mephisto Waltz, and Just One of the Guys. The Witchhammer episode was released as a bonus feature of the 2021 DVD release of the film, as a component of Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
And, of course, two of my supercut video collages continued to be available via the BMA Screening Room.
2020
Two of my video collages, "Dude Descending a Staircase #1" (2019) and "Simoom" (2009) were invited for inclusion in the BMA Screening Room, the online video platform launched by the BMA to support the work of Baltimore artists in the wake of the pandemic.
"Dude Descending A Staircase #1" premiered in an exhibit during the International Conference of Chinese Computer Human Interaction, Xiamen, China in June 2019, and was created in direct response to the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Bret Kavanaugh in 2018. "Simoom, "which premiered at the BMA in 2009, is an interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's first story, "MS. Found In A Bottle," and was commissioned by the 48 Hour Film Festival for their celebration of Poe's anniversary in 2009.
In the days immediately prior to the quarantine shutdown, I was honored to show work in a two-person retrospective (along with Kristen Anchor) in the Microcinema series curated by Stephanie Barber at Rhizome DC.
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Equal+Opposite (2008) as the 11th most Underrated Supercut of All TimeEqual+Opposite (2008) as the 11th most Underrated Supercut of All Time
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My commentary on WITCHHAMMER appears on Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.In 2021, I guest-hosted on several episodes of the Projection Booth podcast, including discussions of Witchhammer, The Mephisto Waltz, and Just One of the Guys. The Witchhammer episode was released as a bonus feature of the 2021 DVD release of the film, as a component of Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
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Promotion for Rhizome DC Microcinema
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BMA Screening Room login screen
I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You
"I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" was developed for the Mary B. Howard Invitational: An Excellent Thought About A Quality Idea, curated by ‘sindikit and the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art as a reanimation of some of my oldest practices — stream-of-consciousness writing on “scrolls” (in actuality, commercial paper towels) and little mementos mori written for the artists and historical figures who had significantly moved me — with my newest: writing and painting on silk, a fabric of natural strength and transparency.
My first painted artwork, "I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" is a manifesto of sorts, comprising catalyzing concepts and conclusions that have driven me as an artist, citizen, and woman. Presented across three 4’x’6’ silk scrolls, the text echoes aspects of drop cloths, battle flags, and notebooks and is intended to evoke self-doubt, erasure, reiteration, and the editorial hand.
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I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at The ShedI Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You on display at The Shed, Baltimore MD in April 2021
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I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at Spark IVThe center panel of I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You exhibited as part of Spark IV: A New World? at Maryland Art Place, Summer 2021
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I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can YouI Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You on display at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, Reston VA
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An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea show postcardThe image in this postcard promotion for An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea uses one of my early studies for I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You.
In the Raw
In March I released an album of solo guitar and voice songs, 50'♀ In The Raw: Live from the Magpie Cage.
To celebrate, I performed a single album release show with Lady Hatchet & Jeff Waters at Zissimo's