Queer Intimacy
gather tender night
Diedrick Brackens
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Ongoing – August 23
Diedrick Brackens can bask in the warm welcome he receives as he returns his old haunt with his first solo exhibition in the Bay Area, gather tender night. Brackens is an alum of the California College of the Arts and was an Assistant Professor of Textiles at CCA.
Brackens’ installation features fifteen tapestries he created since 2020, including three new works specifically for YBCA’s show. These artworks speak of tenderness, migration and connections with the natural world.
Executed on the loom in hand-dyed, cotton fiber and acrylic yarn, Brackens’ works convey a masterful and meditative process of physical discovery and storytelling. Single and paired figures exist in resplendent depictions of water, flora and fauna, allowing the viewer’s imagination to wonder in a natural world. For Brackens, the outdoors is an important space where queer folks can be themselves and participate in spaces of desire and sensuality freely.
The softer world Trend
The “softer world” art began in 2010, in response to rising digital anxiety and alienation. This trend emphasizes gentle aesthetics, featuring smooth gradients, pastel palettes and naive or dreamy imagery. It represents a shift towards emotional, tactile and comforting art, incorporating surrealism, minimalist line work and organic, sustainable materials.
Key elements of this trend include:
Aesthetic Features: A move away from harsh, saturated, or highly photorealistic images toward smoother, more fluid, and otherworldly visuals. This includes using airbrushes and spray paint for soft gradients.
Pastel & Earthy Palettes: The trend favors soft, calming and neutral palettes. Expect to see gentle blush tones, sage greens, warm beiges, creamy whites and muted blues.
Motifs: A focus on intimate, nostalgic, and often, surreal or naïve scenes.
Cultural Context: Emerging as a response to global anxiety and the acceleration of AI/digital technologies and offering a "softer" or more human, authentic experience.
Sensory and Tactile Textures: There is a move away from perfectly smooth digital imagery toward art you want to touch. This includes fluffy textures, soft, organic shapes and visible brushstrokes.
Emotional & Intimate Themes: Art focusing on vulnerability, nostalgia and quiet moments. It is described as "feel-good" art designed to make the viewer smile or feel comforted.
Nature-Infused & Organic Forms: Soft florals, botanical themes and flowing, liquid forms are prominent, aiming to turn living spaces into sanctuaries.
"Small Art": A recurring area of interest (although not in this exhibition) is in quite small, intimate and often personal-scaled artwork rather than large, imposing canvases.
A softer world Blankets The Bay
We have already been treated to softer world shows, with Liberatory Living at MoAD last year and the current exhibition at BAMPFA, Zeinab Saleh: Signs of a softer world. (You can check out the blog for Saleh’s show by clicking here.)
For more information on gather tender night, including accompanying public programs and community gatherings, click here.
For more general information on softer world art, view a short YouTube covering the subject by clicking here.
