Aaron Decker

Enameled grimaces, floppy fish, and medieval maces clip together assembling necklaces, brooches, and lockets in the newest works by Aaron Patrick Decker in it's (not) all fun and games. A body of work inspired by difficult experiences growing up queer in a military household, Decker skillfully sources and recontextualizes those memories into jewelry. Each piece its own micro narrative with titles such as mace face, cut my teeth, and luke, a flying fish, these new enamels combine a deep curiosity for the material and its history in military medals and regalia with the fascination of toys and play to make pieces that come apart, and reconfigure into an array of different wearable possibilities. More toy than jewelry, these new wearable works by Decker are a strong and confident turn in the artist's practice

it's ^not all fun and games

Impacted in the pattern

of clowns, their clothes, their

pattern repeating like the thoughts

I had when we sat down.

Watching a movie together

painting the memories now

of a queer clown who

an aberrant

you didn't want.

Keys rattling

in silence sitting

me staring out

and you staring at my nails

choked in my throat

are the fragile thoughts of

who I was

and the monster you saw.