Ryder Slowly by Max Markwald
Oil on canvas
44in x 40in
*Available for Pick up at the gallery and Delivery within 50 miles.
Shipping estimates are available upon request.
About the Artist: Max Markwald (He/Him/His) uses large-format oil paintings to highlight queer voices and document his gender transition. Since graduating from the University of Akron, Myers School of Art, in the Fall of 2016, he has had fifteen solo shows in the Northeast Ohio region, including exhibitions at Bay Arts, Akron Soul Train, and Massillon Museum. During an artist talk for his 2021 solo exhibition at the McDonough Museum of Art, Markwald reflected upon why he avoided the label Queer Artist for so long, saying, "Maybe it's because queer still has that bitter taste of a word I was taught not to say." Markwald now speaks openly about his struggles as a transgender man, such as being denied healthcare, denied health insurance, harassed in public, and threatened his job. In his statement, Markwald embraces his identity by saying: "I take on the label, queer artist, not as a stopping point, but rather, as a way of looking at a system that does not recognize my existence and saying: You don't get to tell me what that word means anymore."
About the Artwork: Ryder Slowly is every recently divorced mother’s favorite drag king! He performs pro-bonor -- uhh, I mean pro-bono -- with Cleveland Kings Action Pack(CKAP), a charity drag collective that raises money for radical organizations and individuals in need. When asked what his most memorable drag moment has been, he responded: “My favorite performance with CKAP was definitely our ‘Night of the Living Drag’ Halloween show at the Grog Shop. I got dressed up as Dolly Parton with a wig and a breastplate… the whole shebang… and I did her song ‘nine to five’ mixed in with different clips of a woman complaining about her McRib meal at McDonalds. It was kind of highlighting all the BS people in the service industry go through. All of the money made that night ended up going to Magnolia Clubhouse.” Located in Cleveland, Magnolia Clubhouse provides housing, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities to individuals living with mental illness.