eel costello

Artist Statement

Born and raised in Upstate New York, I received my BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and my MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Currently based in Brooklyn, NY by way of San Francisco and Los Angeles, I am a queer interdisciplinary artist working through metaphor for, and in relation to the body. My work is amplified by the specificity of materials and how they have been held, transported and cared for as they change hands. Through my practice I memorialize and celebrate the relationships that I have within my community whether it be familial, platonic, or romantic. My practice speaks on censorship and normalizes topics that may seem taboo in the way that our society is constructed, but are a large and important part of the queer experience. Focusing on the softness found within tension, I celebrate connection through a combination of care and play. Through the subversion of an objects ability or plan to function as designed or intended, whether by force, size or material, a newfound sense of autonomy and power unfolds.