Ayin Es | Relative Strangers

Ayin Es (b. 1968) is a self-taught, nonbinary artist whose work is rooted in autobiographical storytelling. Emancipated at the age of fifteen from an abusive home, their work is often unsettling and raw. Es maneuvers between the precipice of memory and identity by disclosing their internal, lived experience while highlighting family estrangement, trauma, disability and gender politics. Es’ latest series of paintings originated from an old suitcase of vintage family photos. With playful, satirical tones and thick, textural oil paint, they recast these overlooked snapshots and replaced their younger self with aspects of their present self.