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| "All Hail the Queen" Exhibit Postcard ©2014 Kelly Fitzgerald. |
ALL HAIL THE QUEEN
Photographs by Kelly Fitzgerald
The year was
1996, Bill Clinton was in office and the hit song, Macarena by Los del Rio was
dominating the airwaves.
Photographer Kelly Fitzgerald was first introduced to drag queens while
working as a part-time bartender at a local gay nightclub in San Diego. He was captivated by their
larger-than-life personalities. Every Friday night they would perform as Cher,
Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner and other legendary female vocalists. The 1990’s
was an experimental time and drag queens were far from commonplace.
Self-expression, performing and entertaining were all means of self-exploration
as well as mediums to make cultural statements.
Within a three
month time period, Kelly photographed drag queens in San Diego and traveled to
San Francisco to photograph Wigstock, an annual outdoor drag festival that
traditionally acted as an unofficial end to summer for the gay community. The iconic and groundbreaking
photographs Kelly captured show the essence of his subjects; creative, larger
than life individuals who were not afraid to show their feminine sides and
flamboyant spirit. These queens were pioneers in their own right, trail blazers
at a time when their style and fashion wasn’t fully accepted or understood.
Fitzgerald is an
adventurer and fine art photographer who has spent years traveling the world
with little more than a backpack and camera gear. He is a landscape specialist
who has been interpreting culture and the environment for over 30 years. He uses tools such as manual film
cameras, black-and-white film and the traditional darkroom to create his silver
gelatin fiber base prints.
His photographs
have been in numerous exhibits throughout the United States and Europe. Fitzgerald's work has also won several
awards including The Golden Light Award and the IPA Lucie Award. He was honored at The Hubbard Museum in
Association with The Smithsonian Institution in 2003, and was the first
photographer to receive the Gene Harrison Memorial Award in November of 2003. His
work can be found in many corporate and private collections across the United
States. Kelly is based out of California and Hawaii and travels several months
each year to pursue his art.
The exhibit will be on view from July 12,
2014 – September 9, 2014.
An open reception will be held on Saturday, July 12th (6-9
pm) and August 9th (6-9 pm) in conjunction with Ray at Night,
San Diego’s monthly art event.
San Diego’s monthly art event.
