Natasha John
My work refers to the complexity of gender and as such, poses questions around hybrid and multiple identities - as a gender that can be manipulated, distorted, altered.
Many people who belong to the LGBTQ+ community will understand the notion of a ‘chosen family’. In drag ball culture there are ‘houses’ or ‘drag families’ who have a leader known as the ‘mother’. Everyone in this ‘house’ will then take on the surname of the mother. For example, the House of LeBeija, lead by Pepper LeBeija as seen in Jenny Livingston’s documentary film, Paris is Burning (1990). These houses are support systems so that people have a mentor or a leader to help them along their drag career. They can create a safe place for them to grow and gain the confidence they need. The love and security that comes with of a family. This is something that I try to portray within my current work.