Love is a bitter cycle. In its blossoming, you find yourself performing for another person — not just hoping to be seen and accepted, but wanting to appear flawless in their eyes. Excitement takes over, often bringing impulsive gestures — maybe you start buying them things or sharing too much too soon. When the attraction runs deep, a fire ignites between you, but with that heat comes anxiety. The questions start: Am I taking a risk? Am I stepping into the dark? Still, the passion is undeniable. You crave their touch, and when they’re gone, you find yourself picking apart flowers in their absence. All along, you loved the idea of them, and have run out of energy to keep up the facade.

Who Will Come Into My Kitchen and Be Hungry For Me? is a solo exhibition by Nyasia P. R. featuring self-portraits, collages, and poetry that explore longing, insecurity, and the complexities of Black love. Inspired by a quote from Jenny Slate, Nyasia reimagines the question through the lens of their experience as a Black, queer, non-binary person living in a place where acceptance is limited. Their work considers the ways in which Black women are constantly belittled and often convinced otherwise of their beauty — what hope, they wonder, could they have for someone who looks like them to choose to love them back? Through staged self-portraits, Nyasia P. R. invites viewers to confront not just their image, but the roles they play to meet love’s fantasy. Collaged dried rose petals echo the sentimentality and illusions that shape these performances, adding a layer of tenderness and yearning to each piece. Red thread weaves throughout the gallery, delicately giving shape to these cycles of love, an endless loop of yearning for the one who may never arrive.

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Nyasia P. R. (they/them) is a Black artist born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and currently based in Petersburg, Virginia. Their body of work employs analog self-portraiture, collage, and poetry to invoke questions around the Black body, how it moves, where it can be, and where it might go. They create intricate compositions marked by irregular movements, where the artist confronts the viewer directly, inhabiting a range of characters and personas. In 2024, Nyasia P. R. made their 16mm debut with the short film Roxy at Mono XVIII, the 18th Biennial Festival of Cinema Arts by Mono No Aware. This is their second solo exhibition in collaboration with Westlab + Gallery.