ANGEL HO & QUEEZY Activists using togetherness to resist the othering of brown, non-binary bodies

Activists using togetherness to resist the othering of brown, non-binary bodies

Angel-Ho & Queezy

“We are boss ass bitches,” Angel-Ho purrs in a soft, careful voice, “and we’re always thinking about how to channel positivity.” The “we” in this self-affirming statement refers to Angel-Ho, DJ, producer and performance artist — aka Angelo Valerio — and their sister-in-crime, Queezy, fashion designer and performance artist Quaid Heneke.

The Cape Town duo have created their own femme personas through their dress and their art as a way to raise visibility and establish safe spaces for non-binary, queer and young people of colour in their still-segregated country. Among the vanguard of likeminded artists such as Athi-Patra Ruga, Umlilo and FAKA, Angel-Ho and Queezy are addressing race, gender and sexuality in ways that attempt to reclaim erased histories and rallies for an intersectional approach to identity in South Africa.

Angel-Ho grew up in Cape Town, while Queezy hails from East London in the Eastern Cape. “We met via social media. We both liked Lady Gaga at that time, which brought us together,” recalls Queezy. Angel-Ho studied fine art while honing their intense and sensitive soundscapes, and is co-founder of NON Worldwide alongside Chino Amobi in the US and Nkisi in the UK. The musical collective aims to “exorcise the language of domination” in mainstream society, and has hosted events at London’s ICA, the Berlin Biennale and PS1 in New York. Angel-Ho recently released their debut album Red Devil, its textural rhythms addressing “personal demons” in order to “find joy among the chaos”.

Queezy moved to Cape Town to study fashion and uses the medium to explore the art of drag, as seen in her 2016 documentary, Reckoning: A Fabulous Farewell To Toxic Masculinity, and boxing-ring inspired Gallery MOMO performance Club de Quaid. Drawing on pageants, ballroom culture and vogueing, Queezy is a queen against all odds. “I started designing by draping, and at one point I draped fabrics all over my body, which felt like a chrysalis. After that I bought a long red wig and Queezy was born,” she recalls. “The name comes from the reactions I would see on straight men’s faces — let me embody that nausea. I also looked at rappers names — Lil Wayne is Weezy, Kanye is Yeezy. It’s playing with hyper normalisation.”

The pair have collaborated on films, soundtracks, installations, youth workshops, club nights, photography works and now the fashion concept Jacomina, which is named after Angel-Ho’s grandmother. “Her name means ‘a woman who is galvanising her thoughts and words,’” Angel-Ho explains. “She was a seamstress and ran a business from home. We want our brand to be super relatable and to get back to the idea of handcraft.”

Queezy elaborates on their process of co-creation: “We rip, tear, hand sew and trust each other in that moment. We let go of ego and put pride aside to focus on the task at hand. There’s enough shit happening in the world that we have to make sure our work is pure and true to the message. It has to be beautiful, too.”

Beyond conceptual wearables, Jacomina speaks to a new vision of inclusive luxury that the pair hope to evolve into a consultancy advising global brands on young African audiences. “We didn’t grow up with luxury but our perceptions of it have created another whole world of luxury in our heads, so the possibilities are endless,” says Queezy. “Our look is unique, so Jacomina has come at the right time and will have a ripple effect.”