sidewall is a mural exhibition space dedicated to showing works by artists both local and abroad, creative collaborations, etc. this is done in hopes of increasing the opportunity for artists to publicly exhibit work, as well as inspire verbal and visual dialogue. it is hosted on the side wall of a private residence at the corner of 608 S. Millvale & Lima Way, Pittsburgh PA 15224.

During a year when people are struggling between looming quarantine apathy and ever-shifting speeds of panic, I wanted to make a piece about that space and what can coexist there. There will be room for grief and sorrow; for loss and possibilities; for connection and solitude; for joy and restriction. I think of queer grief and memory. How our bodies know the sweetness that is possible and the rough parts that are inevitable during global trauma. It’s weird to have to embrace the space in between, but I think that’s only because we are forced to see ourselves without distraction – in all our in-betweens. We’re forced to see what our queer love becomes when it is not something on display or on the dance floor; when even in solitude, it is surprisingly still magical.

To me, queerness means an unbecoming of all the world tells us we need to be, in order to get closer to who we truly are. To me, in order to get through this pandemic we need to let go of the life we’ve planned, so we can have the life that is waiting for us. But that’s hard to remember, so instead I tell myself the same story this year: That the sunlight that sustains our earth also comes from a distance. That in this solitude, there is space to release and pull close. That we get to be something that the world doesn’t watch. That we get to dream beyond these queer bodies or these screens. That we can stay home, and stay homo… even if our bodies are scared to figure out what that means.

Christina Acuna Castillo (they/them) is a Peruvian cultural worker in Pittsburgh, creating art as an organizing/accessibility tool to help people imagine what change can look and feel like. For many years, they organized with Spanish-speaking immigrants, providing urgent support and resources — especially to families targeted by ICE. Currently, Christina is the Communications Specialist for the Alliance for Police Accountability, works for Sisters PGH, and Pgh United.