pride drag cabaret
drag performers: anessa, ari stada, babi, gold, hurricane kimchi, kkokka, lee sima, miss thang, unity jackson - organized by @seouldragparade
the opportunity to photograph this event showed up to me at the perfect timing.
i had just spent the previous 3 months incessantly sending emails for video and photography work
opportunities in seoul - with no luck - so i had just restarted my work at a restaurant.
scrolling through instagram i found a story from seoul drag parade looking for a photographer for non other than their special pride event. i applied immediately and that led me to these:
to meeting all these amazing performers, and to finally
be introduced to the diverse drag culture in seoul.
this show, being the first drag show i attended in korea, surprised me with its diversity. i later discovered this is common (and my favorite part) of drag shows here.
they are filled with so many different talents like live singing, pole dancing, lip synching, burlesque... done by drag queens, drag kings and drag performers of all gender identities and expressions!
from glam to gore, comedy and drama, sensual or scary numbers, there is truly sooo much variety in all the drag shows here that every weekend you go to the hbc/itaewon/noksapyeong areas - where most drag shows and queer events take place - is a different and surprising experience.
now, in terms of my life, one gig didn't magically pay my bills… i still worked at the restaurant.
but it did made me realize i could still focus on
what makes me so incredibly happy - visually representing
all the talent and different characters that make
the queer community a special place for all of us.
it made me restart this project called 'queer portraits', to do exactly that - create photos and stories i am very excited to start sharing here.
at the same time, getting inside of the queer culture of such a fast moving city as seoul, where new things are always happening daily and queerness is transforming in such an interesting way led me to start recording and interviewing more and more people - those that are truly creating the queer landscape of seoul, in such diverse ways...
and then slowly creating a documentary about it, in different parts, so it can keep being a project open to growth. it will come with time, with care, with the respect we own each other's stories and always with a desire to make our voices and our experiences heard - our community stronger.
and for all of this, these photos will always have a very special place in my heart
- i love how you can feel the strength and the light of each performer in them.
