Behind the make-up
The work of French photographer Grégory Herpe aims to peer deep into the human soul. It is sometimes startling, always revealing, as shown in his latest series, a thoughtful exhibition entitled Deep into Drag Queens.
"I started this series because one day, I stumbled upon RuPaul's Drag Race. I knew a little bit about RuPaul but I had a caricatured image of Drag Queens in general; for me, they represented partying, extravagance, fun. But in this programme, RuPaul had very deep discussions with some of the participants and he seemed very intelligent and sensitive.
Watching RuPaul on TV: Kristel Karington Meth, pictured at Leiden in the Netherlands.
They talked about their childhood, their awareness of their homosexuality and the problems and dramas that followed after coming out. In some cases their parents had rejected them, others were beaten up in college, or raped. They suffered in order to be able to live as who they really are... They suffered so much bullying, assault and mockery to live the way they wanted to live!
It touched me a lot because I am a sensitive artist and I know what it is like to be rejected by your community for other reasons. I'm not gay but it doesn't matter! These human beings touched me. I devoured all seasons of the show, then the documentary Paris Is Burning by Jennie Livingston, who for six years filmed the origins of the Drag movement in New York. I wanted to understand the genesis of the Drag Queen movement before photographing it (I think that whatever the subject is, you have to understand it in order to photograph it well).
In general, I'm interested in groups that are a bit outside of the norm, socially or culturally: I am interested in people who are different. I have photographed IRA soldiers in Belfast; gypsies in the south of France; children rescued from criminal paedophile gangs in Cambodia. And always, I've done a lot of research before and I've talked with them to understand who they are.
Club La Persé, Helsinki, Finland. "There are human beings behind the make-up, under the wig, when the curtain falls on the stage."
Drag Queens touch me, it's true, and with this series, I wanted to show a bit of their soul and not just the clubs, the dancing, the sex. I wanted to show their flaws, their wounds. There are human beings behind the make-up, under the wigs, still there when the curtain falls on the stage. I think most people imagine that all Drag Queens wear colourful dresses and big wigs, with exaggerated make-up. But there are beauty queens, comic queens, those who are feminine and others closer to the creature. Some do not wear wigs and others have a beard like Jennifer Hopelezz in Amsterdam. There are even a few female Drag Queens, like Lorna De Latex in Helsinki.
The Only JeanJean, photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Mr Cunt, photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
I wanted to show all of these nuances. I wanted to show the other side of the set, the preparation before an event, the return to normal life afterward, the everyday life as well as the artistic part. I started in the Netherlands with Amsterdam and Leiden, then went on to Helsinki in Finland and now I am in Paris, France. My aim was to do a European photographic tour of the Drag Queens, even if sometimes it seemed almost impossible.
Last summer I was in Estonia and Latvia and tried everything to meet Drag Queens in Tallinn and Riga, without success. The Only Jeanjean, who I photographed in Helsinki, told me that in the former Soviet Republics, Queens were hiding because it was dangerous for them... He was not surprised that I hadn’t succeeded in getting in touch with them. But I haven't said my last word on that.
A quiet moment at work for Kristel Karington Meth, pictured at Leiden in the Netherlands.
Lorna de Latex, a female drag queen based in Helsinki, Finland.
Originally from Sydney, Jennifer Hopelezz has been a fixture in the Amsterdam gay scene for more than 15 years.
“I wanted to show a bit of their soul and not just the clubs, the dancing, the sex.”
Melancholia: Kristel Karington Meth, pictured at Leiden in the Netherlands.
Apollo Drama, pictured at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the most visited necropolis in the world.
I would love to meet and photograph subjects in Berlin, London, Barcelona, Stockholm, Athens –all over Europe – and Dublin. And for once, I'm working on this whole subject in colour. Exploring this subject enables me to meet exceptional people and it is a matter of huge personal enrichment. That's the beauty of my job.”
About Grégory Herpe: French photographer Grégory Herpe places humanity and our modern society at the heart of his work. He has travelled extensively and his striking imagery has been exhibited worldwide. From Europe to Asia to Africa, the artist takes a closer look at individuals, communities and cultures around the world and examines our relationship with superstition, religion and traditions.