Tastes of Cindy: Drag artists re-enact Cindy Sherman portraits from SFMOMA show

To celebrate the incredibly engaging Cindy Sherman retrospective at the SF MOMA [1] (through October 8), we asked four of San Francisco's premier drag performance artists to re-enact four of Sherman's iconic portraits. It's all about looking twice -- or in Sherman's case, four or five times -- and we wanted to see how many layers of gaze her work could hold.

Read Matt Fisher's review of the retrospective here [2] and Rob Avila's review of accompanying show, "Stage Presence" here [3]. All re-enactment photos by Keeney + Law [4].

 

>> FAUXNIQUE: UNTITLED #351

 

The truly artistic Fauxnique [5], aka Monique Jenkinson, currently holds a fellowship through the de Young Museum [6]: she'll be Artist in Residence for the month of September in the de Young's Kimball Education Gallery, working in an open studio setting, co-hosting "Dance Discourse Project #13: Working in Museums" with Dancers' Group and CounterPULSE [7] on Saturday, September 15 at 2pm), and making new work, including "Instrument," a solo created in an experimental collaboration with choreographers Chris Black, Amy Seiwert, and Miguel Gutierrez premiering at CounterPULSE in November.

 

>> BOY CHILD: UNTITLED #355

 

A relative newcomer to the scene, Boy Child [8] stretches drag performance into phantasmagorical new directions, mashing neon hip-hop swagger into goth-electro darkness. Lately, she's been representing SF in New York and the Pacific Northwest and gaining attention for her photography.

 

>> LIL MISS HOT MESS: UNTITLED #360

 

One of the only queens who could have most of SF's colorful nightlifers dancing the hora to "Hava Nagila" at her Bar Mitzvah x2 party -- or falling on their bums at her annual rollerskating birthday jam -- Lil Miss Hot Mess [9] will be stepping down as Miss Tiara Sensation during next month's pageant (Saturday, September 29, 9pm, $10-$20. Rickshaw Stop, SF. www.rickshawstop.com [10]) and enrolling in grad school, to begin her new life as a career girl.

 

>> LADY BEAR: UNTITLED #354

 

 

Always elegantly but firmly large and in charge, Lady Bear [11] hosts monthly parties Hot Rod [12] at the Powerhouse and Dark Room [13] at the Hot Spot here in SF and Cub Scout [14] at the Eagle in LA. As Dragoon the actress, she's currently starring in the uproarious "Designing Women Live! [15]" (Tuesdays through August 28, 8pm, $20. Rebel, 1760 Market, SF.) and the upcoming "Roseanne: The Play" in September. She also recently starred in a short film, Love and Anger, with Cousin Wonderlette.

 

 

Photography: Keeney + Law

Art direction: Brooke Robertson

Assistant: Caitlin Donohue

Concept: Marke B.