New queer hybrids: Welcome to the gothic and colourful world of Dakota Noot

Greg Thorpe

Dakota Noot is an LA artist whose work features beautiful and bizarre explorations of sex and violence, often blurring gender and species, and rendered in a style and colour palette that draws on comic book culture and brings with it all of the associated childhood thrills and terrors. His latest creations involve life-size wearable works of art that can be seen as costumes, set-pieces or appendages, bringing the artist himself into the work and enabling him, amongst other things, to “enact violence playfully on my own body.”

Greg Thorpe Zoomed with Dakota at his home near Pasadena (California, USA) to delve into this mega-vibrant and pseudo-violent work, reflecting on new modes of queerness, the pleasures of dark comedy, and the unexpected influences of lockdown on his practice. Welcome to Dakota’s gothic and colourful world of violent animals, breasticles and KFC art pop-ups.

You can see more of Dakota Noot’s work on his website www.dakotanoot.com and Instagram @dakotanoot.