the cocoon tightens
March 15-23, 2025
Opening 3-5 pm Saturday March 15th
Guest curated by Valeria Espinal
This exhibition features PNW trans artists — including Von Coffin, Valeria Espinal, Jess O’Farrell, Andy DeLapp, Andie DeRoux, and more - and centers on works by Pablo V Cazares whose gender transition inspires wherein he wraps himself in life-size chrysalises.
All commissions will be donated to Gender Justice League. Please join us for special two-weekend only event to provide visibility and support to this community.
“the truth about genuine, paradigm-shifting transformation is that it's terrifying. To take a step that you know will fundamentally change your life, without knowing who you’ll become on the other side, seems crazy. There’s no guarantee the new self will be better, but the need to change pulls like destiny"… Pablo Cazares, excerpt
Pablo Cazares on reclaiming the place of dreams and his process in making Chrysalis
Curatorial Statement
-Valeria Espinal
The Cocoon Tightens celebrates and supports work by Pacific Northwest transgender and nonbinary artists. Amidst the current and past political climate in the United States and beyond, we feel our growing pains from a failing system.
Pablo Cazares’s Chrysalises center this exhibition on a metaphor of transformation. When a butterfly leaves its chrysalis, the moment to change and leave is triggered by a hormone replacement. Softening the chrysalis, activating the central nervous system, removing the covering from the eyes and proboscis, the emerging butterfly takes time to feel their changed body before taking flight. Pablo’s Chrysalis figures are the result of his community gathering to celebrate the transition, the truth.
Change is never just one image, one moment. Val’s microscopic dissection turns into a scenic walk rich with texture and colors of life previously unseen. Andie DeRoux’s work with resin and other materials transform painting and sculpture alike to explore ourselves. Von Coffin’s mysterious sculptures use stunning color applications to evoke deepest nostalgia. Jess O’Farrell’s Altar to Queerness evokes the divinity of our bodies to shed away shame. Andy DeLapp’s skilled oil painting challenges our perception of classical themes and gives trans subjects their rightful place in art history.
Turning the invisible to visible can be done. We come together as our genuine selves, ready to form community and safety. Now more than ever, we need support, and in turn we may offer the richness of a life lived together. We must grow and change together.
Listed as Must-see Shows in 2025 by Seattle Times! Donate to Gender Justice League!
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