Human Paper Doll Series
Dakota Noot
Paper is possibility, or at least, queerness on a budget. My drawings, made with crayons and colored pencils, are taped to my body and used as background props. These drawings push the presentation of my gender (male-bodied, hairy-chested) into a fantastical take on femininity. My work references horror and Italian Giallo cinema, which takes on a queer context when taped to my body. These genres typically underrepresent queer characters and make them into stereotypes. Instead of becoming a side character, I use self-portraiture to make myself the star of my art. I am the scream queen of this photo-performance series. I specifically reference Giallo and proto-slashers such as A Bay of Blood and Orgasmo, making them more queer and playfully camp than the originals ever could have been.
My queer aesthetic is accessible, hodge-podge, and colorful. I use what could be violent to render images of beauty, splendor, and humor. I over-saturate my crayon colors with sublime, ultramarine blue. I’m not interested in the abject: my queer experience is beautiful. That interest in beauty, especially feminine beauty and drag, is queer. Though I wear the face or clothing of an idealized woman, my body is not “ideal” I am a hairy, flabby man dreaming of escapism. Tune into my glamorous delusions.
