Issue four
Life’s a Sin
Drag culture has been pulled into the mainstream consciousness by the likes of TV shows RuPaul’s Drag Race, and whilst men performing female drag has become a popular and more accepted art form, women performing this kind of femininity haven’t been as visible. Female drag performers can face criticism for participating in a world that has largely been occupied by gay male performers, and there are some people who view female drag queens as appropriators of a particular culture. Victoria Sin is a Canadian artist and female drag performer based in London, and has had firsthand experience of such criticism herself. “Drag is a series of appropriations on top of each other... It’s like, you’ve been appropriating the culture of femininity, am I appropriating femininity from gay men? Once you start looking into it, it absolutely starts falling apart. These arguments are not only idiotic, but pure misogyny; that being a woman would not allow you to participate in gay culture.” What such criticism ignores is the capacity and ability for female drag performers to challenge and question what we all think we know about gender. Victoria’s own performances are heavily informed by post-modern feminism, and attempt to deconstruct how gender filters in day to day life, whilst exploring how much performance is reconciled with her own identity. “I’m a feminine identified person. So to decide to perform femininity you start looking at how you put on lipstick to go out one day, and you’re like well what’s the difference between this and drag? At what point does it turn into drag? Femininity is not essential to women and masculinity is not essential to men. We’re all bodies performing gender in some way however aware of it we are. To be a feminine identified person who then chooses to perform femininity makes me kind of look back on myself and think about everything gendered.” Victoria’s performances are also informed by race, and western concepts of beauty. “When I am in drag I’m erasing my Chinese background and delving into western beauty ideals, which is a white girl with blonde hair. The purpose of drag, for me, is to embody all of these very convoluted beauty standards that exist for women.”
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A resounding bout of enthusiasm is often the reaction you’ll get when Sanam Sindhi is brought up in conversation. This can hardly come as much of a surprise when a quick scroll through her Instagram - @trustmedaddy - can inadvertently turn into a 30-minute digital affair. “I don’t consider myself that influential,” Sindhi tells me, yet with a 103k+ following, her reluctance to become some kind of role model has probably come a little too late. After making an appearance as one third of Rihanna’s girl gang in the Bitch Better Have My Money video released last June, Sanam rose to international notoriety as people flocked to social media to try and unearth the mystery girl’s identity. A stream of interviews followed, revealing her to be just a normal girl from Seattle. But it’s apparent from the start of our interview that she’s not just your average Seattleite, and makes it quite clear she doesn’t want to talk about Rihanna whatsoever. Yes, she’s on a first name basis with RiRi, but Sindhi doesn’t let that kind of information define how we view her. With the intention to begin photographing again, preparations to write a book in the works and even plans to bring out a clothing line, she’s certainly trying to shrug off the label of ‘sidekick’. It’s Sindhi’s work as an artist, however, that’s been making most people talk. Sindhi is part of Art Baby Gallery, an online exhibition space run by artist and curator Grace Miceli. Since 2011, the collective has been providing young artists with a platform to exhibit their work by putting on solo exhibitions once a month.
She reiterates, “I just think it’s dangerous to influence her publication has in the wider give too much power to these voices and world and how to use it to her audiences to confuse posi-vibe feminism for actual advantage, “Rookie is in a lovely spot progress.” Power, again, is something between lots of young writers and then the internet has provided the individual. lots of influential established listening Personal essays (an off-shoot of the rise ears in publishing.” With that in mind it of blogging) function both positively and seems the constant questioning as to negatively in the world of 21st century what Tavi will doas she grows up- and online media. On the one hand, they allow how relevant she can be to her readers marginalised people a voice to comment is redundant, the platform Tavi created is on issues that may otherwise be denied to no longer reliant on her sole input. them, and Rookie is especially instrumental in allowing young people a legitimate After nearly but not quite enrolling at platform to air their views. “With Rookie NYU last year, Tavi made the move to I’m always very pleased when we’re New York regardless and subsequently able to distill the chaos of an issue that’s starred in her first Broadway production, usually discussed within a really broad This is Our Youth. But has moving from political sense into a personal essay.” suburban Chicago to New York being She says, “I think that’s around ‘creative’ people the root of empathy for constantly, altered her a lot of people, so the work ethic? “I feel if I “"I feel if I personal can be political put the pressure on in a really important myself like, ‘I want to put the pressure way”. However, when accomplish this by this on myself used unsparingly and time’ that I think it can arguably too often, these sort of fuck with the like, ‘i want to essays often come flame that should be accomplish this across, in her eyes, as guiding you and exciting “symptomatic of this by this time’ that you regardless.” Similar really creepy need to to many young creative just I think it can have a personal brand.” women our age, Tavi is Perhaps surprisingly, unwilling to be bound sort of fuck with Tavi doesn’t consider by one career or herself an activist. singular path. Instead the flame that Despite the fact that she continues with should be guiding Tavi’s personal work, acting commitments, and Rookie alike, are writing, editing and you and exciting both informed by generally making the you regardless." feminist ideas, she most of her time living considers Rookie a in the cultural capital. publication first and foremost with her own purpose as a “Right now I’m sitting in my apartment professional being a need to satisfy her and I have my record player, my books, creative desires above anything else. and my paints, and I feel the same way However, that’s not to say Tavi doesn’t I did when I was twelve, when I would feel passionately about moulding Rookie just come home from school and take into a platform which teen girls can use a picture of my outfit and then make a as their own, despite the fact that she is collage. Having that – the luxury of the reaching the end of teenagehood herself. time do this – it’s like I don’t need anything “Even though I’m still 19, my life changed else.” And maybe, if anything, that’s what really quickly when I graduated from high we can all learn from Tavi. In a world school. I’m in a crazy, crazy bubble where ruled by clickbait, and the glaring gaze i don’t have to deal with a lot of injustice of social media, time has never seemed of any kind in my day-to-day life, so for so scarce. Taking time to step back and me to speak about a lot of the things that I reconnect with what really motivated us think our readers are going through would in the first place is no guilty pleasure, but be just not helpful.” Offering many young a necessity for growth. creative people their first opportunity, Tavi Words by Ione Gamble is aware there’s only so much good that Photography by Eleanor Hardwick can come from putting herself front and Styling by Tavi Gevinson centre. She’s also equally aware of the Tavi wears Chanel, Shrimps, Dagda and Meadham Kirchhoff throughout
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Polyester
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“For me, I kinda grew up in a generation where it was all about oneself, about individuality and how to express oneself. It really wasn’t cool to identify yourself with a movement or a group because that meant that you weren’t “individual” and “unique”. I think that social media is really a new tool for young people to connect to each other and to speak up their minds and that it has become important and cool again to be part of something bigger than yourself.” VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
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Shoes by Mista
“I totally think that being an instagram celebrity is the same as traditional celebrity.... It’s the same thing. Instagram is realityjust look at Kim Kardashian and how she has built up a ‘real’ empire from reality TV and social media. We don’t even know or care about her ‘real’ personality and background. She has created this virtual persona that we are obsessed with. For me Arvida Bystrom was one of the first girls on this new feminist movement that really celebrated and worked with female cliches. It’s a new form of female empowerment that shows how something cute, sexy and everything that is girly can be empowering as well and that’s basically our message as a womenswear brand.” VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
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“I think that IRL queer and feminist spaces were created because there was nowhere else to communicate with each other and identify as a group. Nowadays information spreads mostly online, and even though I also think that it’s sad that queer venues and spaces are shutting down – and that there is definitely a difference in experiencing a feeling of belonging and identification in reality rather than online – online platforms play the main role now regarding community and information.” VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
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“We approached the penis in quite a punk way I believe. In art history and general society the phallus shape has always been this symbol of power strength and masculinity.... And we took it and turned it into something cute and playful like a trim, a lace, print and even a historic damask pattern. It’s about playing down this symbol of ultimate power and to ridicule it. It’s like playing the penis game where the louder and more often you say it the less frightening and intimidating it becomes.” VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
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Scarlett: Do you prefer London to New York? Antonia: No, they’re totally different Scarlett: How? Antonia: ln New York everyone’s on top of each other, and I think that affects the pace of people working. In New York, everyone’s making so much work as fast as possible, there are shows going up everyday and here and because there’s so much of it people aren’t as competitive, so they’ll help each other out a lot and there’s a lot more sharing. Whereas in London it’s much slower… maybe in London it’s not so much about quantity but quality? I dunno… Scarlett: I guess America has that kind of overly ’positive attitude’ which Brits aren’t really used to.
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Antonia: People want to help each other out more, other artists aren’t seen as such a threat like they are to people in London. London is more competitive because it’s smaller and there’s a different attitude. Scarlett: In London, you go out and get drunk and have all these great plans of all the things you are going to do and achieve and meet people who say they can help you but the next day it’s over… whereas I swear in America if you had a night out and a stranger promised you something or said they could help you out, they’d probably mean it… Antonia: I don’t talk to strangers.
Scarlett: Hahaha. Do you think it was really important for you to study curating for so many years, or do you think you could have still been a curator without doing formal training? Antonia: For me, yes, it was important but I don’t think it is for everyone. Scarlett: I like the kind of DIY attitude you have and the way you seem to be able to just ‘throw’ these shows together. It feels exciting and fun, almost like you’ve had to find your own way of curating and go against everything you were taught?
Antonia: Yes, they teach you all about how you need to be able to talk about the relationship between two images on a wall - I personally don’t think this always matters but when they teach curating they want you to be thinking like that. Scarlett: Lastly, when are you going to start drinking again? Antonia: I don’t know but i’ll text you.
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Boobtube by O’Mighty, thong- stylist’s own, necklace by Mawi, bracelet by Mawi
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Down To Mars Girl Photography by Olivia Richardson Styling by Saskia Cole Hair and Make up by Robyn Fitzsimons
Rina Sawayama is the Japan-born, London-based singer and producer who recently proclaimed herself queen of “cute R’n’B”. After thorough investigation (in the form of a cute chat on a grey Saturday morning) we can confirm she’s worth the title. Born in Japan, Rina moved to North West London when she was “four and a half”. After studying politics at Cambridge, she settled back in London, where she has been making waves in the past three years or so, producing music and being part of the cool crew of Anti-Agency models. Her first foray into the music industry was the release of a 7” called “Sleeping In Waking” in 2013 on the independent label Make Mine, followed by the single “Terror”, which she released under the name RIINA. Both got her noticed by influential online magazines such as The 405 and The Line Of Best Fit, the latter describing “Terror” as nothing less than “fucking huge.” A couple of years later, she is back with a new song called “Tunnel Vision”, to be followed by an EP of pop-infused R’n’B songs about Instagram following, online
Set by Aidan Zamiri Set Assistanct Aexandra Russo Production by Ione Gamble
empowerment and IRL awkwardness. “I can’t wait for this material to come out,” Rina says; and we feel the same way. The only song out at the time of writing, “Tunnel vision”, lasts only for a golden 1’55” and leaves us wanting for more. Its winning formula combines breathy, FKA Twigs-esque vocals, a slow, hip-shaking groove and highly topical lyrics about our generation’s troubled relationship to the online world. The video for it was directed by pastel-obsessed photographer and Polyester collaborator Arvida Byström and perfectly captures the enticing, invasive nature of screens. Rina’s lyrics are incredibly on point; have we not all been slaves to “notification happiness” and don’t we all know the angst of having “one hundred tabs open in [our] mind”? When asked about her relation to the online realm, Rina sums it up pretty well by saying, “it should be nothing but it’s everything.” This applies particularly to artists
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