Along the walls of the Illini Union Art Gallery, bright lights, green spray paint and a peppering of Arial font welcome William Hohe’s first solo exhibition: “William’s Summer of Rest and Relaxation.”
Hohe grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and decided they wanted to pursue art during their sophomore year of high school after they came out as gay.
The University of Illinois has been Hohe’s place of residence since 2021 and has provided a space to elevate their work. Hohe, junior in FAA, is pursuing a double major in studio art photography and advertising.
The artist serves as president of The Fashion Network as well as co-founder of the Circular Fashion Expo. They are also the chief creative officer for the American Advertising Federation.
Sitting on the floor of the Art Gallery, Hohe revealed the collection is truthfully “a third-person reflection on oneself.”
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“This exhibition is really just dealing with yourself as a third person,” Hohe said. “Having that conversation with yourself as if you’re a stranger and seeing if this is what you need to do and sorting out all the mental boundaries and difficulties one might have when it comes to facing those self-doubts.”
The exhibition contains various mediums, or different styles of art, that Hohe explored within their own mind.
According to Hohe, their exhibition attempts to utilize different mediums in order to convey a cohesive collection. Through sculptures, videos, paintings, mixed media and photography, Hohe said they achieved their end goal and showcased a multifaceted assemblage.
Hohe’s exhibition features a collection of photographs, highlighting Kailey Sedlacek, sophomore in FAA, as Hohe’s bright pink model, seen pictured in front of a burning tapestry of Venus, the goddess of love. The remaining photos of the same shoot pictures a pink Sedlacek photographed around the community.
“This is definitely the craziest shoot I have ever done with William,” Sedlacek said. “I am a plus-size woman, and I am very confident with myself and my body, but this was just such a vulnerable moment because everything is exposed.”
Sedlacek said the shoot took place on a rainy, 40-degree Wednesday night in the middle of nowhere. Sedlacek’s paint was peeling off due to “pure, cold rain.”
“I was interested in taking on Kailey for this project about plus-size women and plus-size bodies, and basically making Venus into this plus-size diva who is beautiful, but also represents one’s vessel and one’s standards of one’s vessels, how they are always set out for conception,” Hohe said.
Alongside modeling, Sedlacek mostly focuses on textile art and making clothing for all bodies, and is the creative stylistic director at The Fashion Network. She is also a studio arts major with a fashion concentration and an advertising minor. Within TFN, she highlights plus-size models and plus-size clothing on the runway.
“I felt so honored being reached out to as the first person in mind for this project because plus-size women, we don’t get opportunities like this,” Sedlacek said. “It’s so hard to be taken seriously in the modeling world and even the creative world.”
Hohe’s appreciation of drag culture also remained prevalent within their work.
A collection of photos taken for the exhibit features two drag queens, one of whom was portrayed by Heraldo Hermosillo, sophomore in FAA.
“This was taken at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday, and we were all going crazy,” Hohe said. “It is great to have that creative energy. For me to get up and close, it was a really nice feeling.”
“As a model, surrendering to William’s vision was very gratifying, because once we finally did, we shared a process of exploration and discovery,” Hermosillo said.
Hermosillo began drag in March of this year, beginning his makeup exploration within University residence hall rooms. Over the summer, he went back home to Guadalajara, Mexico, where he was able to refine himself within the drag art-making scene. Hermosillo said this was an electric feeling.
“The exhibit is a truly remarkable immersion into the raw, complex and beautiful world that William so boldly represents in their art within the exhibit,” Hermosillo said. “It’s a beautifully emotional acid trip, that has moments to introspect our own ties with family, friends, the world we live in and the inner workings and thoughts we have as human beings.”
Hohe and their drag models used projections, cameras and digital screens to create their final product displayed on the walls of the Illini Union.
Hermosillo said the completion of the project took place in a dark attic and felt like a fever dream, as the project ran from what was meant to be a half-hour shoot to a full three hours.
“They have my drag space and it has had stellar results,” Hermosillo said. “Please, give this exhibit a visit if you haven’t, you will relate to it deeper than you might expect. Let their art affect you.”
Hohe’s exhibition took about two months to complete. Their timeline, critical to the name, consisted of no artwork for the exhibition being created during the summer.
“I felt that it would be really hypocritical if I was making art while talking about the summer of rest and relaxation,” Hohe said. “That makes no sense. I took the whole summer just to think, to breathe, to let my mind wander.”
From May to August, Hohe said they allowed themself to truly rest, which led them to create their first solo exhibition — something that has been a goal since they first began art.
“This is the main thing that I wanted to do,” Hohe said. “My 21st birthday, I said that I want to have done at least one solo show.”
Hohe’s “Summer of Rest and Relaxation” is inspired by Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2018 novel “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” which is set in the 2000s in New York City.
Hohe said they found their inspiration among other things in their life apart from the novel, which contains more premise within their work. Hohe said their biggest artistic inspiration was Keith Haring.
“As an artist, you don’t have security in this world,” Hohe said. “It was my two hands making this. My hands won’t work if my mind doesn’t work, and then I’m just not making it. I’m not surviving, and I’m not thriving. It was an affirming moment as an artist. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
