Lucid Self
Contemporary Arts of Tulsa
November 5, 2026
Walking into Contemporary Arts of Tulsa two days after the midterms, I felt waterlogged from both the rain and the election results. While the rest of the country celebrated major power shifts from the right to the left, Oklahoma ended up nearly as red as ever. Turns out, the antidote to my political dismay was Lucid Self—an energetic, very queer group exhibit, which I caught on its closing night.
The participating artists Mery McNett, Gregory Messenger, and Ra Vashtar, who are all Oklahoma-based, were brought together through their interest in expressing the “self” in their work. A show featuring three artists with three very different styles and mediums could feel disjointed, but the connective conceptual tissue of identity kept Lucid Self grounded. The intimate gallery was lined with mirrors, portraits, and mixed media creations all inspired by personal histories and the mythology that people build about their own lives.
Queer identities are often viewed through the complex lenses of trauma and memory, and Gregory Messenger pushed this idea into the horrific. The artist’s manipulation of cardboard, hemp cord, and paint was frantic and instinctive, with a nightmare-tilted sharpness to the often religious and personal subject matter. His work reminded me of an ultra-folk Greer Lankton, another trans artist who worked with themes of the body and its uncanny forms.
Ra Vashtar’s work interspersed levity throughout the show, for instance with the highlighter-neon characters that grabbed my attention around the gallery. Vashtar’s work literally directed the viewer to “LOOK” at the subjects, with phrases and actions written out as instructions, or sometimes deflections. Every now and then, I caught my reflection in his altered mirrors, framed in glitter and vibrancy.
Mery McNett’s coy and vibrant oil paintings were a highlight of the show. Her kaleidoscopic use of color made the work playful and layered; I kept thinking of catching rainbows through reflections and lights. Lambs and children served as a throughline in both 2D and 3D pieces, linking this highly-skilled work to the easy, unfiltered expressions of youth.
Lucid Self brought together artists who share a vibrant intensity that demands attention. The show was queer in every sense of the word, and I revel in the fact that this kind of expression is available, accessible, and allowed in Tulsa. If there’s one thing our community can do to balance out the right-leaning forces in our government, it’s support the Okie weirdos who create despite it all.
