New York’s iconic Wigstock drag festival gets the red-carpet treatment in a new book and exhibition by renowned Montreal photographer Pierre Dalpé. Both titled Wigstock 1992 – 1995, the book will be launched on October 5 at Montreal’s Galérie Produit Rien.
Wigstock took place between 1984 and 2001 in various locations throughout New York City. This year marks its 40th anniversary. Says Dalpé, “I documented Wigstock from 1992 to 1995 at the height of its popularity and captured the fabulousness of drag and disguise in all its glorious forms.” Dalpé and I recently sat down for a candid Q&A.
Why did you create your exhibition and book Wigstock 1992 – 1995?
Pierre Dalpé : In 1991 I was studying at Concordia University. In my university photography class, I was working on a body of diptychs featuring friends, acquaintances, and myself, in and out of drag; exploring the idea that we, as individuals, potentially embody a multitude of personae—that identity is fluid, malleable, and not predetermined. This series, which later became titled Clothes Minded, featured my subjects in various stages of drag, and explored the gender binaries of masculinity and femininity while shedding light on all the grey zones in-between.
At its core was the premise that we are all in various forms of drag in everyday life, since everything we wear is, in essence, a socially constructed costume. My exploration of drag, as well as my interest in notions regarding masquerade, disguise, identity, and performance, led me to reading a wealth of queer and feminist theory; literature that helped to further inspire my photographic explorations.
So when I heard about Wigstock, it spoke to everything I was investigating at the time. After a bit of research about the event, I made my way to New York City on Labour Day weekend in 1992. I remember arriving in Tompkins Square Park and thinking how this event was even larger and more incredible than I thought it was going to be. I was quite overwhelmed – but in a good way. The park was like a magnet, attracting gender-bending queers and costumed youth from all over New York City and beyond. It was breathtaking!
Why is Wigstock important?
Pierre Dalpé : My Wigstock images are an important historical document. They speak to a time when queer people were experiencing overwhelming anxiety, hate and backlash because of the AIDS epidemic. At this time Wigstock was a much-needed opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to express joy, strength, audacity and pride. Since producing my Wigstock images, aside from exhibiting a small selection from this series in the late 90s, a large portion of this body of work has laid dormant for the past 25 years.
What is it about Wigstock that you felt compelled to document?
Pierre Dalpé : Photography has always been my way of reacting to and understanding the world around me. In the early 90’s, I was going out to nightclubs and photographing at queer events that I was attending in Montreal, New York City and Toronto. I feel I captured an important slice of life from this era.
How important is it for you to document queer life?
Pierre Dalpé : I think it’s very important – not only to satisfy my creative urge to document what is significant to me, but to also document my take on queer life; not just for the current generation to see, but for future generations to experience and appreciate the differences and the changes in the world.
I never pursued the career of a photojournalist, but there are facets of my work that are photojournalistic. I like capturing aspects of the world that interest me, and telling a story from my perspective.
In the world of social media, has photography been cheapened?
Pierre Dalpé : There is the idea that the amount of photographs we view and consume on a daily basis can cheapen photography – and on a certain level this is true. But as with all mediums, there will always be artists who will use the medium in a sophisticated way, who will push the limits and use their creativity to elevate the medium and make it rise to an art.
For example, there are many art photographers today, myself included, who use analog cameras with analog film. Some photographers use 4×5 and 8×10 cameras, and the quality and feel you get from using these older and well-established processes can sometimes be far superior to digital. I’m not trashing digital, because that’s what I mostly use right now, but ultimately it’s how you use the medium, and push the boundaries, that makes the difference.
INFOS | Photographer Pierre Dalpé launches his book Wigstock 1992 – 1995 (Les Éditions Cayenne) on October 5 from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Galérie Produit Rien (6909 Rue Marconi), during the Wigstock 1992 – 1995 exhibition which runs from October 2 to 6 (open daily from noon to 5 pm).
Wigstock 1992 – 1995 (with book launch) will also be displayed at the Human Rights Institute Gallery at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, from August 27 to December 6; and at the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon, from November 7 to December 1.
Visit https://www.pierredalpe.com
