Anna Campbell’s “Chest” (2022) is more coy in its humor. Composed of plywood, pine, and a rectangle of hickory veneer, that odd imposition of veneer on top of plywood, itself made up of layers of veneer, begs all sorts of questions. Does the title reference anatomy or furniture? The artist’s layering and editing projects both playful and serious dimensions. Given Campbell’s interest in queerness, “Chest” suggests the ways that the bodies of queer and cis people alike change, intentionally and over time, and our society’s very different readings of those changes across identity groups.
- Alexis Clements in “What Can Art Expose About Us?” Hyperallergic. April 1, 2025