Chris Buxbaum, photographer, was born in Hammersmith, London and grew up like any other English child. When he was 13 years old, Buxbaum says that things drastically changed for him, and hundreds of “other bored and faceless kids.”
The innovative pop singer, David Bowie, had just transformed himself from an ordinary guy into what Buxbaum terms a “bisexual alien superstar,” and his persona caught Buxbaum’s attention. Bowie’s eclectic mix of attitude, colorfully dyed hair and full-face make-up, was just the beginning for Buxbaum’s experiments.
It is here that he learned the power of transformation, “How a little glamour, a little subversion, a little perversion, could take you out of your humdrum existence and make you feel like someone else.”
After a few years of dressing like their idol, Buxbaum and his friends took what they knew and explored it in their own way. They created characters of their own and would try them out in public. The group frequented a lesbian bar in London’s Soho district called Madame Louise’s. Once the “Madame” permitted their entrance, they would collectively head to the bathroom and change into glamorous new identities. They looked like, “beautiful peacocks,” Buxbaum described.
Buxbaum’s exhibition, “Transformers,” was inspired by those early days. The collection is made up of photographs he took documenting “The House of Sukeban.” Buxbaum agreed to DJ in a small club that his friend Harry (Kaori Androide) was starting.
“It was to be called Sukeban…A Night of Drag, Burlesque and Fetishism. A celebration of all things creative and surreal.”
In his artist statement, Buxbaum said that he would stand at his DJ booth and watch the drag queens “enter the dressing room and then re-emerge totally transformed.” They had, “changed sex, become superheroes, mistresses of the dark, anything they wanted.”
The exhibit took place at CherryLion Studios on the Westside. The studio looks like an abandoned warehouse, and a wall of headless mannequins greets you upon entering. Opening night was full of bright, colorful lights, loud music and 7-foot tall, drag queens. Anyone not dressed up and decked out in fabulous make-up was in the minority. Many of the drag queens present were also subjects in Buxbaum’s artwork.
Each of Buxbaum’s pieces draws you in with vivid colors. The drag queens posed dramatically – some elegant, some sexual and seductive, while others were freaky or even scary. Above all, the photos were truthful, creative and extremely eye catching.
Because the drag queens photographed were present at the event, attendees could interact with them and hear the story behind each work. The exhibition was fun and educational. Chris Buxbaum’s surreal world was wonderful to experience.
The “Transformers” exhibit will be up through Dec. 2. Click here for directions.