Image Not Available
To My Future, Non-Existent Children Publication
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2024
Artist: Cristóbal Ayala Roche
Dimensions:
Publication: 270 × 200 mm (10 5/8 × 7 7/8 in.)
Medium: Risography and digital print
Object number: GD.2024.79.CC
DescriptionA publication that sensitively investigates the complexities of starting a family from a queer perspective.
Description by maker:
To My Future, Non-Existent Children is an investigative and self-ethnographic publication
dealing with the theme of family legacy through a queer perspective, asking the reader
what it is that we are leaving for future generations. Born out of the observation that
there is an ever-growing percentage of the population that identifies as LGBT+ and that
this will inevitably lead to new models of the family unit, this project poses the question
of whether I, a homosexual Mexican man, will ever even be able to have children: Be it
because of political, social, financial, personal or even ecological reasons. This publication deals with these respective matters, all addressed to my non-existent child, an elusive, ever out-of-reach and mysterious figure, as I grapple with the cultural impetus in Mexico that encourages child-rearing as the ultimate accomplishment, contrasting with my ambivalent feelings towards the subject.
Child rearing is a deeply personal matter, but it is my intent that this publication serve as a reference point and conversation starter for queer individuals to explore their relationship to legacy and the family unit. This publication serves as a platform for the overlooked topic of LGBT family to come to the light, and grapple with the complex issues that come with it: The impact of climate change on the quality of life of our future generations (Soloski, 2024), the ethics of surrogacy (García, 2023), the stigma of adoption (Culhane, 2017); these are all tough questions that straight couples might get to ignore, but all queer parents have to deal with this moral maelstrom. Regardless if one wants to have children or not, the question of whether we are creating the world we want future generations to enjoy is an important one. What would we like for the next generation to understand about 2024?
What will be gone? What will remain?
Description by maker:
To My Future, Non-Existent Children is an investigative and self-ethnographic publication
dealing with the theme of family legacy through a queer perspective, asking the reader
what it is that we are leaving for future generations. Born out of the observation that
there is an ever-growing percentage of the population that identifies as LGBT+ and that
this will inevitably lead to new models of the family unit, this project poses the question
of whether I, a homosexual Mexican man, will ever even be able to have children: Be it
because of political, social, financial, personal or even ecological reasons. This publication deals with these respective matters, all addressed to my non-existent child, an elusive, ever out-of-reach and mysterious figure, as I grapple with the cultural impetus in Mexico that encourages child-rearing as the ultimate accomplishment, contrasting with my ambivalent feelings towards the subject.
Child rearing is a deeply personal matter, but it is my intent that this publication serve as a reference point and conversation starter for queer individuals to explore their relationship to legacy and the family unit. This publication serves as a platform for the overlooked topic of LGBT family to come to the light, and grapple with the complex issues that come with it: The impact of climate change on the quality of life of our future generations (Soloski, 2024), the ethics of surrogacy (García, 2023), the stigma of adoption (Culhane, 2017); these are all tough questions that straight couples might get to ignore, but all queer parents have to deal with this moral maelstrom. Regardless if one wants to have children or not, the question of whether we are creating the world we want future generations to enjoy is an important one. What would we like for the next generation to understand about 2024?
What will be gone? What will remain?