Holosexual

from FARID THE ZINE | The First Issue | Spring 2018

The Emancipation of Drag: A Double-Edged Sword?

Presenting you with the first of our many photo stories, the shoot was curated by Hesham Abdelhamid and shot by Lewis Thompson.

The editorial was Inspired by the art of paper makeup as pioneered by the incomparable club kid Ryan Burke. We want to pay homage to club kid culture and we pretty much implemented their mantra of, ‘YOU CAN ALWAYS BE FABULOUS EVEN WHEN YOU ARE BROKE.’

We had no money to create an elaborate editorial, but with just £15 and a couple of clicks on Amazon, we had a whole concept executed in no time at all. It’s incredible what you can achieve with glitter, paper and holographic plastic!

Who/what is a club kid?

A group of art lovers who strived in creating a hedonistic community for the gay, transgender and disenfranchised to be authentically celebrated. They may not have been household names, but in the 80’s Leigh Bowery, Ernie Glam and Susanne Bartsch fuelled a pioneering party scene. Extravagant parties mixed with British eccentricity and downtown New York chic, which brought out the best club freaks, united by a love of sex, drugs and drag

However, there was more to clubbing than dressing up and popping pills for this youth underground scene; it was a genuine community, coming together to express their artistic flair in a way that was purposefully alienated from the mainstream.

Now in 2018, with the rise of Lady Gaga and Club Kid Ru- Paul’s transition onto mainstream media, the fashion, art and music world is revisiting the highs of the Club Kids Scene. A new generation continues to seize the night with creative force, dressed to the nines with their crown make-up and platform shoes. This unique community seems to be making a come back, as the scene lives on.