Sydney Mardi Gras: Drag Down Under

Story by Bartosz Jaworski

Quite a sight to witness, Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebrations have made everyone’s favorite Roman fertility festival into a Pride day for Sydney’s LGBT community, and is one of  the largest such events in the world.

As part of the festivities, the blank_space Gallery will host Cut-Throat, an exhibition of a highly-stylized, glam-drag portraits that highlight LGBT diversity by uniting the oft-separated worlds of drag kings and queens.

With Pride in the air, the exhibit captures the bold and in-your-face personalities that many would like to have but few have the courage to realize. The show also features prominent Diva Award-winning drag queens, Tora Hyman, D’Vynal, Suitor, and newcomer Giselle with fashion from Jovani, Mr Stinky's, and Blue Velvet.

Pride or not, though, the artists collaborating on this project -- photographer Kirsten Cox and stylist Lenya Jones -- are not afraid to keep the darker undertones of gender ambiguity in the frame, too.

Cut-Throat runs from Feb. 26 through March 4 and is set in the Barberia barbershop, symbolizing the “barbershop drama” tone set by the collection. The blank_space Gallery is located at 374 Crown St, Surry Hills in Sydney, Australia. After March 4, the gallery will move to the Soleil Tanning Salon on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst.  

Story by Bartosz Jaworski

Quite a sight to witness, Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebrations have made everyone’s favorite Roman fertility festival into a Pride day for Sydney’s LGBT community, and is one of  the largest such events in the world.

As part of the festivities, the blank_space Gallery will host Cut-Throat, an exhibition of a highly-stylized, glam-drag portraits that highlight LGBT diversity by uniting the oft-separated worlds of drag kings and queens.

With Pride in the air, the exhibit captures the bold and in-your-face personalities that many would like to have but few have the courage to realize. The show also features prominent Diva Award-winning drag queens, Tora Hyman, D’Vynal, Suitor, and newcomer Giselle with fashion from Jovani, Mr Stinky's, and Blue Velvet.

Pride or not, though, the artists collaborating on this project -- photographer Kirsten Cox and stylist Lenya Jones -- are not afraid to keep the darker undertones of gender ambiguity in the frame, too.

Cut-Throat runs from Feb. 26 through March 4 and is set in the Barberia barbershop, symbolizing the “barbershop drama” tone set by the collection. The blank_space Gallery is located at 374 Crown St, Surry Hills in Sydney, Australia. After March 4, the gallery will move to the Soleil Tanning Salon on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst.