Fantasia No.1: "Reina de Ella Misma"   (2019)

This piece seeks to synthesize aspects of personal history and elements of drag and performance by considering queered perspectives of fantasy, play and ritual.  

 

Drag is deeply embedded in the world of fantasy and is a practice based in imagining an alternative reality as much as it is a medium of expression intended for an audience to witness.This extended, durational performance/installation is intended to turn the latter inside out - a spectator within the spectacle, a performance dedicated to the performer, a vision kept partially secret.

 

Here the audience peers “into the closet” or world of the performer and lays eyes upon a variety of moments on her imaginary stage, which include transitional moments of wardrobe changes, wig changes, breathing, lip-syncing, stillness, etc. 

 

“Reina de Ella Misma” includes specific cultural artifacts : photographs of my mother’s pageant queen days, videos of performances by some of the most influential latinas in music history who’ve inspired me through my youth, as well famous salsas and boleros woven into songs I perform to throughout the course of the opening.

 

The warped reflections along the walls of the "stage" and layers of mirrors scattered throughout reinforce the metaphorical themes of introspection, isolation as well as multiplicity and endlessness. They also serve as a practical and experimental tool for performance. The installation remained open for viewers to enter after the performance was complete.