Grip Strength: An Army of Lovers Shall Not Fail · KT Abadir-Mullally

Opening Reception Friday, September 11, 6–9 PM
On view Saturdays, 1–5 PM
September 11–October 10, 2026

Grip Strength: An Army of Lovers Shall Not Fail is an interactive series of soft sculptures and ceramics reveling in queer strength, rage, and resilience. Pulling from the aesthetics of strength sports, the exhibition exaggerates queer athleticism and alters ephemera of queer revolution. Grip Strength: An Army of Lovers Shall Not Fail is driven by hands as a symbol of queer desire. The sculptures play with the urgency to showcase power by asking visitors to join the army of lovers and perform international measurements of strength. The title of the exhibition is inspired the last line of Sappho’s “Reply” by Rita Mae Brown, from her book of poetry The Hand That Cradles the Rock (1971).

KT Abadir-Mullally is a Philadelphia based artist and archivist who creates interactive installations and hosts workshops that discuss the movement of information and how much or little control we have over what is remembered or forgotten. Through sculpture and relationship building, Abadir-Mullally’s work debates the fragileness of our modern cultural production, our hunger for legacy, and the desire for ideas and information to die. Their work explores cultural histories, collective thinking, preservation, queer resilience, and strength through fibers and archival records.

Website: caitlinabadirmullally.com

Instagram: @meatspace2000