FROM CANDY DARLING TO ANTONY

Portraits by:
Ole Christiansen, Stephen Freiheit, Jacob Fuglsang Mikkelsen,
Gilbert & George, Graig B. Highberger, Anton Perich, Søren Solkær Starbird and others.


JULY 25th   -   OCTOBER 4th 2009

Sex, identity and diversity are the prevalent themes for World Outgames 2009, that comprise a broad spectrum of exhibitions, performances, concerts and workshops in Copenhagen in July. To coincide with this Fotografisk Center has created the exhibition FeMale Icons - From Candy Darling to Antony. A veritable tribute to the androgynous, a spectacular array of film and photographs from the 70's to the present day.

The photographs in the show challenge our idea of what is masculine and feminine and especially the concept of the feminine male. The photographs depict boundary breaking sexuality, of being a woman trapped in a mans body. This is not a presentation of the homosexual in art and music but of artists forming and developing their own sexual identities.

The Icons are, among others, Lou Reeds “Walk on the Wildside” and Andy Warhols superstars Candy, Jackie og Holly. The singer Amanda Lear, who was portrayed on the cover of Roxy Musics second album and Antony, Grace Jones, Leigh Bowery, Pierre & Gilles, Eva & Adele, Marc Almond, Boy George and Mike Stipe of REM. Boy George was, together with Amanda Lear and David Bowie, one of the first men to publicly portray and present themselves as women. When Boy George made his breakthrough with “Do you really want to hurt me” at the start of the 80's one wasn't sure if this was a man or a woman. Culture Club was the vehicle he used to expose this transgender with a string of hits including “Miss me blind”, “Church of the poison mind” og “Karma Chameleon”.

Since then there have been many transgender artists, the most outrageous and exhibitionistic being Leigh Bowery who died in 1996 and was known for always wearing exaggerated masks. Today the singer Antony is regarded as almost mainstream, he performed for many years at the Pyramid Club in New York, where the cabaret scene is a refuge for the transsexual underground. It was a chock for many that Antony, with his very special voice and music became a popular artist on compilations for among others; Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Björk.

The photographers themselves are all accomplished portrait photographers in their own right and have many strong, beautiful and visionary images in their collections, two film will also be shown, Anton Perichs “Francenstino” and Graig B. Highbergers “Superstar in a Housedress”, a documentary about Jackie Curtis.

NB: FOTOGRAFISK CENTER HAS MOVED!
New address:
AMALIEGADE 28
1256 KØBENHAVN K

Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11-5

©Stephen Freiheit

©Ole Christiansen

©Søren Solkær Starbird