'You’ve got to be pretty tough to be a drag queen out there': Damien Frost’s immaculate queer portraits
The photographer’s photos are so meticulously staged that viewers often assume they were taken in a studio – not behind a London nightclub or in an Australian goat field
TL;DR
- Photographer Damien Frost, based in London, has been commissioned to photograph night owls in and around Newcastle, NSW, for the New Annual festival.
- The exhibition features new portraits alongside selections from Frost's archive, displayed at Watt Space gallery.
- Frost's approach has shifted to include the environments where subjects work, moving beyond his usual club settings.
- His photos capture individuals using fashion, makeup, and prosthetics to explore identity, sometimes as a manifestation of feeling treated like a monster.
- Frost likens the creation of elaborate drag looks to Buddhist sand sculptures, emphasizing their ephemeral nature.
- He notes changes in drag culture, including the closure of LGBTQ+ venues in London and the influence of social media algorithms leading to 'branding' of performers.