Take Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen, throw in an ancient myth and add a bit of art: the result is a new show of works (until 13 December) by the UK artist Claire Hooper at Plymouth College of Art. Hooper interprets the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna descending to the underworld, encompassing a short film featuring Asifa Lahore—the drag queen in question—in the title role. Lahore says: “This idea of Inanna wearing a wig, of shedding layers as she gets deeper into the underworld: these are the kind of themes that Claire and I felt would be particularly suited to a drag artist.” And the point is? “This new body of work looks at the significance of the female body in male-to-female drag in relation to female identity and reproductive labour,” the organisers say. So you know.
