The chaos of symbols in this work becomes scaffolding for concerns shared by Baltimore-based collaborative duo Wickerham & Lomax, who chart friendship, intimacy, queer communities, and geographies of Baltimore. Organized around the image of a window, Romance as Intrusion plots free associations, from BDSM paddles, dog-masked avatars, and latex fetishware to multiple references to science fiction, vision, and world-building. Prominently pictured are two Black protagonists of 1990s television: Levar Burton as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Avery Brooks as Commander Sisko on Deep Space Nine. Romance as Intrusion is rooted in autobiographical references to the artists’ own coming of- age, as well as to Baltimore itself, where boarded-up buildings here point specifically to the ongoing history of our city’s condemned and demolished gay clubs and queer sanctuaries. The work grapples with the pain of such loss and marginalization while insisting on pleasure and perseverance within subcultures and closed communities.