Miami Beach, 2022
The Architecture of Identity: Honoring the Miami Queen
My commitment to documenting social histories can be vibrantly seen in here in my work celebrating the Miami drag queen; this series explores the fluid boundaries of gender identity, self-expression, and the power of role play. Utilizing a decadent mix of vintage wallpaper, acrylic, and Swarovski crystals, I elevate these women into icons, housing them within gold royal cameos that demand the same reverence as historical nobility.
These works served as a timely architectural intervention. At a moment when the drag community faced significant political headwinds and legislative scrutiny within Florida, I decided to take this “High-Society” aesthetic directly to the streets, painting these tributes on the walls of Miami Beach. By painting, Swarovski-studded portraits in public spaces, I used ornamental elements to reclaim space for a community under pressure.
Perhaps in this context, more than a frame, the gold cameo acts as a shield. I set out to utilize the language of luxury and tradition to assert that these performers are the true cultural pillars. By framing the “performed” self of a drag icon in the aesthetic of the elite, I wanted to offer a quiet but firm defiance against the erasure of identity, proving that the most effective way to protect a community is to make it impossible to ignore.
Painted directly on walls on Miami Beach.
Edition count: 11 unique
