We first came across the work of London photographer HOLLY REVELL when we interviewed the legendary Brit alternative performance artist DAVID HOYLE. He shared with us her stunning photo-book David Hoyle: Parallel Universe which is is a limited edition book of photography and artworks emerging from the intimate eight-year collaboration between him and Revell.
Revell is an artist photographer and documenter of performance who has a keen eye for preserving and collaborating with queer artists, making images and portraits which explore performance and transforming identities. Since 20i0 she has made her mark on London’s burgeoning queer cabaret scene
She started in 2010 with her photo-booth installation DARKROOM. This was an experiential photo-booth which invited participants to join a tableaux installation and make pictures in the dark. Playing with the terminology of traditional photography and gay nightclub culture, it created a space where anything could happen. The resulting images resemble classic paintings using chiaroscuro, they are intimate, sensual and evocative, echoing the experience of making them.
This was followed by Transformations; a series of photographs made with performers reflecting the transition from drag to original self in one long-exposure .
Revell is currently working on an ongoing participatory photography project People Like Us which is exploring AFAB (assigned female at birth) trans and non-binary identities and experience; masculinity, gender-dysphoria, gender-euphoria, the magic and beauty of gender non-conforming bodies, visibility, rituals and individual complexities.
You can view an extensive collection of Revell’s work at http://www.hollyrevell.co.uk/ meanwhile here are a few of Queerguru’s favorite ones
