PATRON SPIRITS
Other Self-Imagers on the Web

(If you'd like to suggest additional self-image links, please E-MAIL the Chameleon.)

• Frida Kahlo | The mother of us all.
• Countess de Castiglione (Virginia Oldoini) | The grandmother of us all? This 19th Century noblewoman stagemanaged a photographic chronicle of her own beauty and extravagance.
• Nahum Zenil | Clearly influenced by Kahlo, and also Mexican, but with his own distinctive queermale voice.
• Claude Cahun | Identity art and gender politics that were prophetically ahead of their time.
• Lyle Ashton Harris | Reflections on race, gender and eroticism that are very much of our time. I can't find a link that really does justice to his important work.
• Cindy Sherman | The current superstar of self-imaging photographers.
• Renee Cox | Her bare-breasted Jesus at "Yo Momma's Last Supper" got Rudy Guliani hot under the collar. More than a provocateur, this outspoken woman of color has produced a richly-layered body of work
• Nikki S. Lee | Dives deep where others dabble, immersing herself as an insider in various subcultures (swinger, skateboarder, senior adult) then recording the transformations in documentary style.
• Anthony Goicolea | A master of digital manipulation, Goicolea casts and clones himself as multiple adolescents in "humorous and horrific" still-image scenarios.
• Arno Rafael Minkkinen | The skin is a landscape, the body is architecture, the self is effigy in the work of this brilliant Finnish/American photographer.
• Arnis Balcus | A virtuoso photographer, an artist of depth and insight, a beautiful and enigmatic being.
• Lucas Samaras | This multimedia master regularly incorporates his own image into stunning studies in experimental photography.
• Arthur Tress | He photographed his own shadow. I am in awe of these images, which are a small part of a large body of work. From his beautiful home page, click on the second box from the left, then on "Shadow Series."
• Chuck Close | Redefined the portrait for the 20th Century with his brutal, monumental images of faces, including his own.
• Mariko Mori | Giesha-cyborg-superstar. As cute a Pokemon, as brainy as a PoMo theory geek. I'm still trying to figure her out.
• Yasumasa Morimura | Is it homage or parody? That's Morimura peering out of what looks like a Velasquez or a Degas. Not even Cindy Sherman is safe!
• Robert ParkeHarrison | A holy fool in a blasted landscape. Dream-like, poignant, haunting.
• John O'Reilly | Unapologetic about his aging image, he incorporates self-portrait photographs into startling collages replete with deft allusions to art history.
• John Coplans | Also aged and unapologetic, he's scrutinizing every inch of his life-worn body. How do you define beauty?
• Jonathan Marshall | He's Satan, he's Jesus, he's an alien! This artist becomes a man of a thousand faces through the magic of digital manipulation.
• Michal Macku | Images that echo the masters of surrealist painting, usually featuring the artist's own nude form. He uses a techniuqe called "gellage" in which he manipulates photographic gelatin.
• Heather Champ | She shoots herself in mirrors. I like her attitude. Choose "Jezebel's Mirror" on her menu.
• Toaph | Exhibitionistic artistry, artistic exhibitionism.
• Charlie of Changingcam | More self-imaging exhibitionism. Choose "Photoessays" on his menu for the arty stuff.
• self-exposed | Another artistic naked guy, this one with plenty of links to yet more self-imagers. Keep on surfing!

Assorted Inspiring Folk

• James Jorden | Creator of parterre box, the queer opera zine. Funny, subversive, and one of the most knowledgeable critics around.
• Alison Bechdel | The lesbian cartoonist's brilliant brainchild, Dykes To Watch Out For.
• Hedda Lettuce | Now this is drag.
• Rufus Wainwright | My new femme-boy hero. After being indifferent to contemporary pop music for most of my life, suddenly I'm smitten.
• Celeste Miller | A gifted creator and performer in dance and theater media. An inspiring teacher and colleague.
• Sha Sha Higby | Creates intricate performances by animating her own exquisitely crafted costumes, masks, and puppets.
• Zombiequeer | He discovered me flaunting my wares on the Male Chest Page. This web-based travelogue gives a taste of his offbeat sensibility.

INFLUENCES & INSPIRATIONS

Character Links

• Kabuki for Everyone | A user-friendly introduction to the Japanese theatrical tradition.
• The Berdache Spirit | An excellent essay by Wendy Susan Parker on the Native American Two-Spirit.
• Shamanism | A guide to the global phenomenon.
• Wigstock | Hair is transformation. Hair is power.

Additional Resources

• Masks.org | Hundreds of links to images of masks from cultures throughout the world.
• Nudes Masked | Naked people with bags over their heads. Inspiring and fun.
• The Body Painting Page | Beautiful bodies transformed, links, and lots of practical information.
• The History of Costume | Endless source of inspiration for dress-up fantasies.
• Internet Resale Directory | A search-engine for thrift shops. Could you ask for more?
• Tatoos.com | Exhaustive e-zine of skin and ink.
• Burning Man | The annual festival of radical self expression in the Nevada desert. Search "People" in the image gallery and behold some amazing costumes.
• Queer Arts Resource | Your on-line museum of creative queerdom.
• Center for Queer Art and Culture | More of same.
• Global Collage | A democratic gallery.
• Liz Lerman Dance Exchange | Definitely an influence...

 

 

"Beneath this mask, another mask. I will never stop lifting these visages"

--Claude Cahun, I.O.U. (Self-Pride)