This series depicts individuals who have rediscovered the uninhibited nature of childhood. Blurring gender and sexual
boundaries, these individuals refuse to accept society's labeling of them as inferior to the hegemonic model. Returning
to the backyard stage where children put on variety shows for their parents and neighbors, these female impersonators
remember those childhood performances which allowed them to construct new identities (often times as the opposite gender)
without ridicule. While performing in an accepting atmosphere as Liza Minelli, Diana Ross, or whomever they desire, these
marginalized members of adult society are empowered. In these images the performers are digitally removed from the safety of
the stage environment and are placed into the landscape of our violent society. Their gestures and facial expressions, as
recorded while performing their celebrity roles on stage, take on a different meaning when juxtaposed with the landscape
of a society intolerant to difference. |
