瓦倫汀‧亞當絲:芝加哥變裝皇后系列 VALENTINE ADDAMS: Drag Landscapes - Chicago
- 壓克力、油性筆、層板 oil pen on acrylic on cradled board
-
60 x 45 x 3.9 cm
(23.62 x 17.72 x 1.54 in)
- 坦尼斯 Tennessee Loveless
I was mesmerized by Valentine Addams the first time I met them. They were this total embodiment of eccentricity and glamour that graced the clubs where ever they were. They were punk rock, artsy, innovative, and on top of that… they were personable and kind. I didn’t know too much about them at the time, so when they came to my studio to interview about drag landscapes, I was even more transfixed when I got to hear their story.
Valentine has always marched the beat of their own drum. “I always knew I was different as a kid, and I was bullied a lot because of it”, Valentine says, “I was very artistic, and I didn’t like sports very much. People picked on me and called me faggot a lot. Because of this I just kind of developed my own magical world, and I lived in my head a lot.”
Not one to be defeated, Valentine came into their own at a very young age. “I came out when I was 16 and everything changed from there. I not only knew that I was gay, but that I was VERY QUEER.”
“When it came to drag, everything just kind of made more sense to me. I was making myself into art. Valentine is this hypersense version of who I am, and Valentine has become what I’ve always drawn and painted, and she’s like this creature that I’ve always thought I was. Valentine is who I am.”
Learning about their struggles in the world, and how they turned the hurtful bullying and name calling into a sense of power, I kind of see Valentine’s magical world in their head transform outwards into the magical being that is them. Valentine is a walking sculpture of art, a queer hero, and a creative tour de force that Chicago is so lucky to have.
第一次見到我時,我被Valentine Addams 迷住了。
他們是古怪和魅力的綜合體,無論他們身在何處,都為俱樂部增光添彩。 他們具有龐克搖滾、藝術、創新的特質,最重要的是……他們風度翩翩,善良。 當時我對他們了解不多,所以當他們來我的工作室採訪變裝領域時,以及我聽到他們的故事時,更加震驚了。
Valentine總是按著自己的節奏前進。“我從小就知道自己與眾不同,因此我經常被欺負”,Valentin說,“我很有藝術感,但我不太喜歡運動。 人們經常嘲笑我,稱我為同性戀。因此,我只是在某種程度上開發了自己的魔法世界,並且全神貫注在其中。”
沒有人會被打敗, Valentine在很小的時候就成為了自己。“我16歲出櫃,一切都從那時起改變了。 我不僅知道我是同性戀,而且我非常酷。”
當談到變裝時,一切對我來說都更有意義。 我把自己變成了藝術。Valentin總是能超越自我,並已經成為我創作的素材,讓之後的我與Valentin可等如同出一轍。”
了解他們在世界上的掙扎,以及他們如何將傷害性的欺凌和辱罵轉化為一種力量感,我有點看到他們腦海中的Valentin魔法世界向外轉變為他們自己的神奇存在。 Valentin是芝加哥的一座行走的藝術雕塑,一位同性戀英雄。
- Created: 2017
- Collections: 2021-10 台北藝博 Art Taipei