relics of intimacy | February 17-26, 2026

MFA thesis exhibtion by Alex Blom

Printmedia approaches collide with sculptural modalities as I draw parallels between reverence given for the dead and the aftercare given to a lover following coital encounters. Cast wax undergarments originating from lovers’ affairs captured on film, paired with textile relics, handwritten notes, and analog images, manifest both the physical and emotional remains that intimacy leaves behind. Residual stains and impressions of a stranger emerge within each tableau as individual entries sing a requiem for the personae they honor while positing: how is a moment mourned?

In spending time with the vignettes present in this exhbition, I yearn for onlookers to reflect on the different ways care may present itself, as well as the myriad ways grief may manifest when considering the treatment of once-autonomous bodies after they are no longer present in physical space.