THE FIRST WAVE OF DRAG

The following photos, taken over a period of six months, aim to capture the spirit of the young and emerging drag scene in Prague. The First Wave of Drag focuses on photos taken during visits of the homes of five different local drag queens, offering an exclusive insight into the personal life of young drag performers, with a calmer and more private setting compared to the energy laden and loud performances, the pleasure of preparing for a show, of putting on make-up and becoming an alter ego for a while.

Prague is a city where the form of drag as we know it today has only just started to arrive. Many people do not yet know what drag is or where it came from, or only know it as an American phenomenon, thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race. Lately, however, more and more places offer drag related programs such as comedy and burlesque shows or karaoke nights moderated by drag queens, which leads to the emerging of many young Czech drag performers who want to make a living with their art. Considering the cultural background that the city of Prague has to offer, drag is yet another many faceted subject, finding its way into the very hearts of local performance art lovers.

During the course of this project I was lucky enough to meet many open-hearted and kind people who are actively working as drag queens, who invited me to their place and told me about their work and motivation. I would like to thank all of them for making this project possible, as well as wish them the best of luck on their future path.

FATALE VANITY
I met Fatale at the Connection Night at Friends Club, where she was to support her two friends Gigi and Dima. A week later, I was ringing at her door, waiting to get in.

Fatale’s room is very minimalistic, calming the explosive personality she herself has. Her transformation was remarkable and very interesting to watch; Fatale works at MAC when she does not do shows, therefore make-up is her biggest strength. She did spend a fair amount of time in front of the mirror - 2 hours to be exact - however the result was incredible. Her clothing style involves a lot of black and adds a lot to the “90s Berlin vibe” that these photos give off, as she said herself.

Fatale is fierce, sexy and proud, she loves attention and she cannot be overseen. When she starts voguing late at night in the club, the whole world belongs to her, moving to the beat of 80s and 90s classics.

“You know, when I’m at a gay bar and someone hits on me, and I am not in drag, I would never just go for it straight away. But when I’m Fatale, girl, she’s a slut! She takes what she gets and makes it her own. That’s what I love about her.”
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instagram: @fatalevanity

GIGI STARDUST
I met Gigi on instagram, after having spent several hours looking for drag performers in Prague. She invited me to her show at Friends Club in Prague, as well as being more than happy to invite me to her place to take some photos of her getting ready.

This shoot was a bit short, as she had to hurry to her show at Friends Club. However, I managed to gain a great insight into her life. Gigi is transgender, she is about to start her first hormone therapy as soon as she can, hoping to finalize her transition with a surgical sex change some day soon. She explained to me how it is to live in the Czech Republic as a transgender woman; the medical system sees transgender people as mentally ill, sending them to psychologists in order to verify whether or not they truly are the opposite gender than the one they were born with. Only after such a passed psychological examination is the individual allowed to start the transition, including hormonal therapy. The “applicant” has to live as the opposite gender they desire to be for at least one year, repeatedly seeing the psychologist to be reevaluated regularly. Additionally, the sex on the passport will only be changed once all the surgical and hormonal transitions have been completed, therefore leaving the person with the sex that they do not identify with for far too long. However, with all those measures, the individual’s insurance covers all expenses connected to the transition, which can add up to a very high sum.

“I guess you could ask yourself what’s better at this point; being seen as mentally healthy but having to come up with all the costs yourself, or being classified as mentally ill, however not having to pay for any of the transition costs.”
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instagram: @gigi_stardust

MISS PETTY PISCES
Upon meeting Melancholia Blackbile, who is featured in this book as well, and asking her who else she could think of that would want to cooperate, she told me about her friend Miss Petty Pisces. Miss Petty is a vibrant and energetic queen, always looking for ways to improve and develop her act.

When I first met her, she was just about to leave for the USA, to perform in various clubs and locations all over New York. Like Fatale Vanity, Miss Petty works at MAC and therefore, her favorite part of drag is the make-up; during our first meeting, I visited her at work, where I agreed for her to create a “just-going-to-the-shops” look on me. When quarantine ended in Prague, we finally managed to meet at Miss Petty’s place, where she newly moved in. For our shoot, she decided to try something new and more colorful than what she usually does.

“I believe that as a drag queen, you have to be in constant development. Trying new things with make-up is one of the most important aspects for me; I don’t want people to see me as boring or repetitive. This is my first time doing such a colorful look, so let’s see how it goes.”
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instagram: @misspetty_p

DIMA ARREST
I met Dima together with Gigi Stardust, when they both invited me to their show at Friends Club in Prague. Dima is one of the most energy-laden queens I have met so far, combining spot-on lip-sync with bone-breaking choreographies, and embodying the local master of the “death drop”, a type of dance move where the dancer dramatically falls backwards onto the floor, with one leg stretched out, and ends in a pose.

Dima only just graduated from high school and recently moved to Prague for the summer, so she can focus on her performances and build a name for herself. Her biggest activity is seen at Friends Club, where she regularly performs and hosts shows. My shoot with Dima was long and entertaining, since we agreed on an early time so there would be no need to rush when Dima had to leave for the club. While getting ready, she was singing along to various pop songs most of the time, trying to decide on the one that she would perform that night at Friends Club. Dima and I also discussed the financial struggle that comes with being an emerging drag queen who pays for everything herself.

“Honestly, I haven’t bought anything for myself for a long time. Most of my money goes towards wigs and performance clothes. This is hard, you know; people judging you for wearing the same outfit like at the last show. But for me, it’s not about what you wear, it’s about how you perform. That’s important.”
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instagram: @dimaarrest

MELANCHOLIA BLACKBILE
As most of the drag queens I depicted, Melancholia and I found each other over instagram. Once I came across her profile, it was immediately clear to me that she had to be featured in this book. Aiming to showcase the Prague drag scene in its full and glorious variety, Melancholia is the local representation of fetish, horror and burlesque drag.

Only 21 years young, Melancholia has already been performing for two years and, during that time, managed to make a name for herself; the event rows Boudoir Macabre, Draglesque, The Horror Trivia Night and Blood Ball CZ are all curated and managed by her. Not only is Melancholia the organiser of her shows, she is also a performer in all of them. Additionally, growing up in Linz in Austria, Melancholia regularly performs in cities across Austria and Germany alike.

Melancholia warmly welcomed me in her apartment, where she just recently moved in. Her room had the feel of a very airy and bright horror-fetish cellar, the closet filled with chokers and leatherware, and mannequin heads hiding in various niches and corners, wearing wigs and devil’s horns. Melancholia is a very strong and important element in the Prague drag scene, creating open and safe spaces for all members of the queer community.

“I am very proud of what I’ve achieved in only two years. I feel like I added something to the scene that has not been there as such before.”
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instagram: @melancholiablackbile