My thesis work, it’s currently in the Decker Gallery at MICA if you want to check it out! Each piece is printed at 44x44 inches, which I feel is the best scale to view the work.
Statement:My photography plays off of my experience and identity as a burlesque performer and the creation of exaggerated feminine versions of myself.
In this work I attempt to give form to the multitudes of my identity as a feminine sexual being, from sweet to bombastic, vulnerable to aggressive, elegant to trashy, and find the confidence to own each one.
Like in burlesque, the personas I create are in many ways over the top and detached from my day to day self, yet there is a level of intimacy in my photographic work that differs from when I perform for an audience. I am alone while taking the photos, posing for myself with a self-timer. I feel these images serve to reflect more of myself than of my burlesque alter ego.Inspiration for my personas is pulled from sources that span from Grace Jones to the art deco illustrations of Erté. I am influenced by traditional burlesque and drag costuming and makeup and the related eccentricity of craft and kitsch. The collaging that surrounds the portraiture reflects these aesthetics, where glitter, sequins and fringe is used in excess to create a low budget sense of opulence.
I intend to confront the viewer with the scale and energy of my work, amplifying the power of a pin up girl and providing a taste of the joy and exhilaration I experience by bringing my sexuality to the stage.
These are so beautiful, Devin!!
gorgeous.
