Welcome Mister Larrie

Photo provided by Mister Larrie

“Happy Again” is an homage to my younger self, and a declaration of self love and acceptance. Each pom pom represents a moment from life in which I felt I needed to hide away my joy, my pain, or my differences. By appreciating and sharing the inherent beauty in each of those moments, a lush, colorful reality can be made possible.

I was a good kid. I know this, because everyone told me so. I never complained, I never objected, I almost never broke a rule. I learned it was a lot easier to go unnoticed if you behaved as people expected you to. By fifth grade I, an impoverished gay black kid with hyperlexia and an obsession with rainbows and happy things, was labeled “gifted and talented.” I had lingering fears about being too different, which allowed an imposter syndrome and a strong urge to people please to take root early on.

Even as I somehow found myself in college and moving into adulthood, I began to recognize that I would have to rely on myself to create a space in which I fully belonged. Teaching design gave me the tools I needed to broaden my world and communicate with more of it. Making art gave me a voice and a vision through which I could express my innermost ideas. This space is one of them.

Photo provided by Mister Larrie

Pink, coral, yellow, aqua, lavender… the colors featured in this room illuminate my happiest memories and most ambitious dreams. Some of the pom poms used for this installation were lovingly made by hand, and others were purchased, but each one was applied by hand primarily using hot glue. The surfaces they have been applied to were all thrifted or reclaimed from dumpsters. I wanted to embrace differing textures and hues of my color system to create a dynamic effect for the installation. The panels invite you to touch them, feel them, and interact with the space in the hopes that it will inspire tranquility, happiness, and wonder.

Kristine’s residency is more than a showcase—it’s an invitation to see with new eyes, to find the extraordinary in the overlooked, and to reconnect with the rhythms of the sea.

“See it in real life! Stop by the residency to explore the artwork, meet the maker, and experience the color firsthand.”