DEBORAH BRIGHT, DREAM GIRLS, 1989-90
“I came out as a lesbian in 1985 in the midst of the AIDS catastrophe. It felt urgent to stand up and be counted when conservatives, including President Reagan, were using AIDS as a weapon against queer lives. I had grown up watching old movies on TV and loved particular actors who displayed androgynous or gender-nonconforming signs when the Hollywood Code forbade any positive images of queer life. I recalled how freely my child's imagination roamed among male and female personae as I watched, identifying with an/other gender while passionately drawn my own. I had no names for these feelings at the time but in re-enacting a few of these roles using old film stills, I could make explicit what was at stake. For those who need to know, this work was completely analog (cut, paste, hand retouch, re-photograph and print.)” - Deborah Bright