Kudzu Bodies: The Intersection Between Kudzu and Queerness

Evelyn Horton

ehorton@unca.edu

ART/ART HISTORY

Whether crawling through brush, enveloping roadsides or converting once recognizable landscapes into a mass of green, Kudzu has become infamous as the example of an “invasive" Southern Appalachian plant species. Kudzu (known as Kuzu in Japan), however, is unaware of its actions and only does what all plants do…survive. Dr. Reid Bertone-Johnson, a landscape professor at Smith College, proposed a binary of invasive and native species. This binary automatically places plants that are not originally from this landscape, such as Kudzu, as bad without acknowledging the historical uses and context of the plant. The hate and backlash of Kudzu–the disregard for its historical uses, medicinal purposes, and its edibility–is conveyed in American society’s rejection of it being used for these purposes. This artwork and research argue that this maligned plant is reflective of how queerness is treated in American society. Similar to Kudzu, queerness is seen as something to be eradicated, as dangerous, and something that is a nuisance that prevents society from promoting heteronormativity. Kudzu Bodies: The Intersection Between Kudzu and Queerness utilizes Kudzu as a metaphor in this sculptural body of work. The sculptures and research align the historical background of Kudzu as a fiber and its treatment as a so-called invasive plant in America, an analysis and application of queer art and queer theory. This body of work includes many forms of Kudzu weavings that showcase the plant’s versatility as well as its ability to queer its textile materiality. Whether the Kudzu weavings are engulfing the rigid steel forms, or cascading in a network of fishnets, the work disrupts space and defies the normalities of weaving.

May-14-2024