Daragh Soden on Drag Queens, Identity, and Photography

Exploring Drag and Identity

• 📸 Daragh Soden, an award-winning photographer, discusses his decade-long work exploring the world of drag queens and queer culture.
• 💡 He was initially drawn to drag artists both visually and conceptually, fascinated by their ability to create and perform different versions of themselves.
• 🎯 The work questions gender roles, expressions of identity, and the complex relationship between the photographer and the subjects.

The Photographer's Role

• 🎭 Soden intentionally inserts himself into his photographs, playing roles such as an admirer, collaborator, narcissist, or voyeur.
• 🧠 This approach serves to critique his own role in the image-making process and explore the power dynamics within sittings.
• 🔗 He references gender theorist Judith Butler to explore how drag can both subvert and confirm gender roles.

Collaboration and Subjectivity

• 🤝 The photographic process is described as a genuine collaboration between Soden and the subjects, ranging from performance to conceptual development.
• 🎨 Subjects actively choose and create their identities visually, with some works referencing artists like Claude Cahun and Ge Bordan.
• 💬 Soden aims to address issues rather than resolve them, highlighting the performative nature of identity and the impact of social structures.

Artistic Development

• 🏆 Soden gained recognition in 2016 by winning the British Journal of Photography Undergraduate Single Image Award.
• 🌟 He views his current work as a continuous development of his documentary photography, focusing on personally relevant issues with universal elements.
• 📍 His exhibition is currently on display at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris.