CHELSEABOY
In the age of social media and digital revolution, perfection is social currency. Our online presence in many cases, surpasses our real lives and acts as a new window into how we are perceived by others. Drag’s explosion into pop culture both feeds into and comments on the mechanisms that are at play with social media’s representation of the self. Chelseaboy, a multidisciplinary audio-visual artists photo series HYBRID is a comment on Instagram vs the icloud. The public vs the private. This collection of 20 images from the drag artist's camera roll is more than an inside look into the artist’s mind through their unique lens; this series is a comment on the often unseen side of the community that is drag. Chelseaboy’s images are impacted, unfiltered, and personal. This never before seen visual diary seeks for authenticity through this honest representation of day to day life for a multidisciplinary queer artist. Connecting drag culture to technology, their phone camera roll shows images that don’t quite make the cut of the perfections of social media, but these images collectively reveal much more about how we have come resent perfect imagery which confuses reality.
"When I think of Queer Utopia, my mind brings me to a place far away from home, but close to my heart. It’s a colorful place, where unity is formed through a diverse variety of powerful individuals, all granted their own space. A Space none of them will have to claim, as we’ve decided to build a world where our different identities flow in perfect harmony. Where we encourage development of these identities, to reach a point where no one feels the need to compromise elements of their being, and the full spectrum of who they are are met with love and an abundant sense of belonging. "
Bio: Brian van der Heijden AKA ChelseaBoy is a multidisciplinary drag artist from the Netherlands. Working with audio-visual arts as a form of storytelling, the creative explores gender, identity, and secuality. Their “Gender Hybrid” character draws references from the supernatural domain aspiring to showcase the synergy between our inside and outside world through nostalgic performances filled with extraterrestrial elements. The artist’s aim is to create a utopian universe governed by the full spectrum of unbridled creativity, inclusivity, self acceptance, and love.
Turning to photography, ChelseaBoys body of work crosses from performance, to art, to image making.