Del LaGrace Volcano

Last updated
Del LaGrace Volcano
Born (1957-07-26) July 26, 1957 (age 66)
California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Photographer, activist
Website dellagracevolcano.se

Del LaGrace Volcano (born July 26, 1957) is an American artist, performer, and activist from California. A formally trained photographer, Volcano's work includes installation, performance and film and interrogates the performance of gender on several levels, especially the performance of masculinity and femininity.

Contents

Identity

Born intersex, Volcano developed both male and female characteristics as an adolescent but was raised and socialized as female. [1] [2] Volcano continued to live the first 37 years of their life as a woman, but since then has been living as both male and female. Del LaGrace Volcano (formerly named Della Grace) continues to adopt their true self through their name and gender. After marrying a queer man, Johnny Volcano, Del took on their current name to challenge the "bi-gendered status quo." Johnny has now changed his name while Del kept the surname and passed it on to their two children. Del has been in a partnership with the children's mother, Matilda Wurm since 2006. [3] to which Del refers to themself as a "MaPa". [4]

Life and career

Prior to moving to San Francisco when they were nineteen, [5] Volcano attended Allan Hancock College as a student in the Visual Studies program from 1977 to 1979. [6] Volcano earned an MA in Photographic Studies at University of Derby, UK in 1992 after studying photography at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1979 to 1981. Del LaGrace Volcano continues to further adopt their true self through their gender as well as their name.

Volcano's work complicates understandings of both femininity and masculinity by depicting lesbian masculinity. In "The Feminine Principle" Volcano takes queer femininities as a focus; including in this project is a portrait of Kate Bornstein. In "Lesbian Boyz and Other Inverts," Volcano's celebration of butch dykes, transsexual boys and other gender-queers. In the project, masculinity is shown as a tool of subversion. [7]

Volcano's recent photographs demonstrate how intersex bodies can offer an entirely new perspective on the body. The “normal” body in relation to Volcano's photographs becomes queer, describing the bodies in their latest works as "sites of mutation, loss, and longing." In these newer works, Volcano takes on the loss of their friend, Kathy Acker and the transformation of their lover Simo Maronati's abled body into a disabled one. Here, Volcano illustrates the queerness of any body marked by illness or trauma. Their self-portrait "INTER*me" photograph series (formally the "Herm Body" series) [8] is a raw rendition of the artist's body using black and white Polaroid film, in conversation with their previous work it speaks to the construction of different age-selves and the technologies of gender in photography. [9]

Volcano's artist statement of September 2005 reads:

As a gender variant visual artist I access 'technologies of gender' in order to amplify rather than erase the hermaphroditic traces of my body. I name myself. A gender abolitionist. A part time gender terrorist and an intentional mutation My journey must be distinguished from the thousands of intersex individuals who have had their 'ambiguous' bodies mutilated and disfigured in a misguided attempt at "normalization". I believe in crossing the line, not just once, but as many times as it takes to build a bridge we can all walk across. [10]

Volcano also explores themes of both sexual and gender fluidity throughout their work. Volcano often depicts the instability of gender identity, by pushing past the binary gender system, and frequently uses their queerness in their work to contest the idea of sexual identity as something that is permanently embodied. [11] As shown in Volcano's photography book, "Love Bites", Volcano presents various images of women at sexual play, dressed "in costumes ranging from brides to gay leather men". [12] Volcano, in this way, seems to aim at defying conventional gender norms and feminist principles within their text. In Teddy Boy David, Volcano further pushes this agenda and toys with the idea of age dynamics and, mainly, youthfulness in terms of sexuality and sexual play. [13]

Selected exhibitions

[15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Volcano had a mid-career retrospective at the Leslie Lohman Museum in 2012. [20]

Selected publications

Selected published works include:

Love Bites, as Della Grace, published by Gay Men's Press, London, 1991: "Perhaps the first published photographic monograph of lesbian sexuality in the world made from an insider's perspective. In the early 1990s LOVE BITES generated a great deal of controversy and censorship in both the mainstream and lesbian/gay media. In the USA it was banned by Customs & Excise for two weeks. In Canada they cut the most "offensive" photographs out of the book before selling it. In England it was sold by mainstream booksellers but not in lesbian or gay bookshops who protested they couldn't take the risk or disagreed with the SM content. Although it has been out of print for over 10 years it is still considered a queer classic." [21] [22] [23]

The Drag King Book, co-authored with Judith "Jack" Halberstam, published by Serpent's Tail, 1999. [21] The Drag King Book focusses on the drag kings of London, San Francisco, and New York. Volcano, in the book's forward, describes their first experience with a drag king act, which took place in San Francisco in 1985 when "the On Our Backs/ BurLEZK gang were putting on strip shows for lesbians at The Baybrick Inn. [24] [25] [26] "

Sublime Mutations, published by Konkursbuchverlag, 2000: "Sublime Mutations, a photographic retrospective of Del LaGrace Volcano's work produced over the course of the last ten years, visually remaps the political and theoretical cutting edge of the queer avant garde." [27] In Jay Prossler's introduction, Prossler claims that through LaGrace Volcano's work "we see the changing shape of our bodies and our communities reflected". Importantly however, we also glimpse the changes promised by our was of seeing, the mutations we read as well as those that are visited upon our bodies. LaGrace Volcano skillfully demonstrates that sublime mutations are always already the transformations that viewers project on the physical world, and especially on the body. [28] [29] [30]

Sex Works 1978–2005, also containing an essay by Beatriz Preciado. Published by Konkursbuchverlag, 2005. Sex Works shows a history of sex in the queer scene. [30] [31]

A contribution to the book Inter: Erfahrungen intergeschlechtlicher Menschen in der Welt der zwei Geschlechter, edited by Elisa Barth, in 2013. Other notable contributors include Mauro Cabral, Sally Gross, and Phoebe Hart. [32]

A contribution to Queer Theory, edited by Iain Morland and Dino Willox, published in 2004. The book presents fifteen articles on sexuality, gender studies and other aspects of queer studies. [33] Other notable contributors include Judith Butler, Patrick Califia, Cheryl Chase, Larry Kramer, and Stephen Whittle.

A contribution to Intersex and After, an issue of GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies edited by Iain Morland in 2009. Notable contributors included Alice Dreger, Iain Morland, and Vernon Rosario. [34] [35]

Femmes of Power : Exploding Queer Feminities, co-authored with Ulrika Dahl. Published by Serpent's Tail [36] in 2008 [37] [38]

Volcano's photography featured in the sex-positive lesbian erotica publication Quim Magazine, published in the UK between 1989 and 2001. [39]

Television and film work

Volcano appeared in Gabriel Baur's film, Venus Boyz. [40]

Related Research Articles

<i>Queer</i> Umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or not cisgender

Queer is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. Originally meaning 'strange' or 'peculiar', queer came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, queer activists, such as the members of Queer Nation, began to reclaim the word as a deliberately provocative and politically radical alternative to the more assimilationist branches of the LGBT community.

<i>LGBT</i> Initialism for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender"

LGBT is an initialism that stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender". It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. A popular variant, LGBTQ, adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual or gender identity. Another popular variation, LGBTQ+, adds a plus sign in order to represent other identities not perceived to be included in LGBTQ. Many further variations of the acronym exist, such as LGBT+, LGBTQIA+, and 2SLGBTQ+. The LGBT label is not universally agreed to by everyone that it is generally intended to include. In use since the late 1980s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for marginalized sexualities and gender identities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag king</span> Mostly female performance artists who dress and behave in masculine way for performance

Drag kings have historically been mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. As documented in the 2003 Journal of Homosexuality, in more recent years the world of drag kings has broadened to include performers of all gender expressions. A typical drag show may incorporate dancing, acting, stand-up comedy and singing, either live or lip-synching to pre-recorded tracks. Drag kings often perform as exaggeratedly macho male characters, portray characters such as construction workers and rappers or they will impersonate male celebrities like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Tim McGraw. Drag kings may also perform as personas that do not clearly align with the gender binary. Drag personas that combine both stereotypically masculine and feminine traits are common in modern drag king shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association</span> International umbrella organization for LGBTI organizations

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is an organization which is committed to advancing human rights to all people, disregarding gender identity, sex characteristics and expression. ILGA participates in a multitude of agendas within the United Nations, such as creating visibility for LGBTI issues by conducting advocacy and outreach at the Human Rights Council, working with members to help their government improve LGBTI rights, ensuring LGBTI members are not forgotten in international law, and advocating for LBTI women's issues at the Commission on the Status of Women.

Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex.

Gender expression, or gender presentation, is a person's behavior, mannerisms, and appearance that are socially associated with gender, namely femininity or masculinity. Gender expression can also be defined as the external manifestation of one's gender identity through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice, or body characteristics. Typically, people think about a person's gender expression in terms of masculinity and femininity, but there are many ways to mix both feminine and masculine in identity. A person's gender expression may or may not match their assigned sex at birth. This includes gender roles, and accordingly relies on cultural stereotypes about gender. It is distinct from gender identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender bender</span> Person who disrupts expected gender roles

A gender bender is a person who dresses up and presents themselves in a way that defies societal expectations of their gender, especially as the opposite sex. Bending expected gender roles may also be called a genderfuck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Halberstam</span> American academic, LGBT+ activist

Jack Halberstam, formally known as Judith Halberstam, is an American academic and author, best known for his book Female Masculinity (1998). His work focuses largely on feminism and queer and transgender identities in popular culture. Since 2017, Halberstam has been a professor in the department of English and Comparative Literature and the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Columbia University. Previously, he worked as both director and professor at The Center for Feminist Research at University of Southern California (USC). Halberstam was the associate professor in the Department of Literature at the University of California at San Diego before working at USC.

A soft butch, or stem (stud-fem), is a lesbian who exhibits some stereotypical butch traits without fitting the masculine stereotype associated with butch lesbians. Soft butch is on the spectrum of butch, as are stone butch and masculine, whereas on the contrary, ultra fem, high femme, and lipstick lesbian are some labels on the spectrum of lesbians with a more prominent expression of femininity, also known as femmes. Soft butches have gender expressions of women, but primarily display masculine characteristics; soft butches predominantly express masculinity with a touch of femininity.

Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-binary, or they may be cisgender. In the case of transgender people, they may be perceived, or perceive themselves as, gender-nonconforming before transitioning, but might not be perceived as such after transitioning. Transgender adults who appear gender-nonconforming after transition are more likely to experience discrimination.

Loren Rex Cameron was an American photographer, author and transgender activist. His work includes portraits and self-portraits consisting of transsexual bodies, particularly trans men, in both clothed and nude form.

LGBT linguistics is the study of language as used by members of LGBT communities. Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBT communities, and queer linguistics, which refers to the linguistic analysis concerning the effect of heteronormativity on expressing sexual identity through language. The former term derives from the longtime association of the color lavender with LGBT communities. "Language", in this context, may refer to any aspect of spoken or written linguistic practices, including speech patterns and pronunciation, use of certain vocabulary, and, in a few cases, an elaborate alternative lexicon such as Polari.

Transgender studies, also called trans studies or trans* studies, is an interdisciplinary field of academic research dedicated to the study of gender identity, gender expression, and gender embodiment, as well as to the study of various issues of relevance to transgender and gender variant populations. Interdisciplinary subfields of transgender studies include applied transgender studies, transgender history, transgender literature, transgender media studies, transgender anthropology and archaeology, transgender psychology, and transgender health. The research theories within transgender studies focus on cultural presentations, political movements, social organizations and the lived experience of various forms of gender nonconformity. The discipline emerged in the early 1990s in close connection to queer theory. Non-transgender-identified peoples are often also included under the "trans" umbrella for transgender studies, such as intersex people, crossdressers, drag artists, third gender individuals, and genderqueer people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBT topics</span> Overview of and topical guide to LGBT topics

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.

Iain Morland is a British music technologist and author. He formerly lectured in cultural criticism at Cardiff University. His writings focus on issues of gender and sexuality, medical ethics, and science. In 2005, Times Higher Education described Morland as a leading academic in the field of sex research. He has edited an edition of the journal GLQ, and co-authored Fuckology, a critical analysis of the writings and practices of John Money. With Lih-Mei Liao, Morland co-founded in 2002 Critical Sexology, a continuing interdisciplinary seminar series on gender and sexuality. His audio work includes audio editing, sound design and programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African-American LGBT community</span> African-American population within the LGBT community

The African-American LGBT community, otherwise referred to as the Black American LGBT community, is part of the overall LGBT culture and overall African-American culture. The initialism LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex and LGBT</span> Relationship between different sex and gender minorities

Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) than the non-intersex population, with an estimated 52% identifying as non-heterosexual and 8.5% to 20% experiencing gender dysphoria. Although many intersex people are heterosexual and cisgender, this overlap and "shared experiences of harm arising from dominant societal sex and gender norms" has led to intersex people often being included under the LGBT umbrella, with the acronym sometimes expanded to LGBTI. Some intersex activists and organisations have criticised this inclusion as distracting from intersex-specific issues such as involuntary medical interventions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersex rights in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of intersex peoples rights in the United Kingdom

Intersex people in the United Kingdom face significant gaps in legal protections, particularly in protection from non-consensual medical interventions, and protection from discrimination. Actions by intersex civil society organisations aim to eliminate unnecessary medical interventions and harmful practices, promote social acceptance, and equality in line with Council of Europe and United Nations demands. Intersex civil society organisations campaign for greater social acceptance, understanding of issues of bodily autonomy, and recognition of the human rights of intersex people.

LGBT erasure refers to the tendency to remove lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual and queer groups or people intentionally or unintentionally from record, or to dismiss or downplay their significance. This erasure can be found in a number of written and oral texts, including popular and scholarly texts.

Homonormativity is the privileging of heteronormative ideals and constructs onto LGBT culture and identity. It is predicated on the assumption that the norms and values of heterosexuality should be replicated and performed among homosexual people. Homonormativity selectively privileges cisgendered homosexuality as worthy of social acceptance.

References

  1. ↑ Siddons, Interview by Edward (2019-08-15). "Del LaGrace Volcano's best photograph: my blue mascara masculinity". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  2. ↑ "Here's LaGrace!". QX Magazine. 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  3. ↑ "MaPa Del | Del LaGrace Volcano". www.dellagracevolcano.se. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  4. ↑ "Del LaGrace Volcano". The Emergence of 'Trans'. 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  5. ↑ Volcano, Del LaGrace (1999). The Drag King Book. Blackstock Mews, London: Serpent's Tail. p. 10. ISBN   978-1852426071.
  6. ↑ Wilton, Tamsin. glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. Chicago: glbtq, inc, 2002"Grace, Della"
  7. ↑ O’Riordan, Kate (2015), "Transgender Activism and the Net", Global Activism, Global Media, Pluto Press, pp. 179–193, doi:10.2307/j.ctt183q4qr.18, ISBN   9781849644778
  8. ↑ Steinbock, Eliza (2014-11-01). "Generative Negatives Del LaGrace Volcano's Herm Body Photographs". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 1 (4): 539–551. doi:10.1215/23289252-2815228. ISSN   2328-9252.
  9. ↑ Volcano, Del LaGrace; Prosser, Jay; Steinbock, Eliza (2016-01-01). Horlacher, Stefan (ed.). Transgender and Intersex: Theoretical, Practical, and Artistic Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan US. pp. 189–224. doi:10.1057/978-1-349-71325-7_8. ISBN   9781137543523.
  10. ↑ "Artist's Statement Archived 2016-09-10 at the Wayback Machine ". Del LaGrace Volcano official website.
  11. ↑ Halberstam, J. Jack (2005). In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives. USA: NYU Press. p. 178. ISBN   9780814735855.
  12. ↑ Reed, Christopher (2011). Art and Homosexuality: A History of Ideas. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 237–239. ISBN   9780199830442.
  13. ↑ Levine, JJ (April 2015). "Whipping the Binary". Photography and Culture. 7 (3): 304. doi:10.2752/175145214X14153800234892. S2CID   191482291.
  14. ↑ "Del LaGrace Volcano: Corpus Queer: Bodies of Resistance 1980–2018". MoCA Skopje. 2018-06-07. Archived from the original on 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  15. ↑ Volcano, Del LaGrace (2019). "Del LaGrace Volcano". del lagrace volcano. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  16. ↑ Volcano, Del LaGrace; Windh, Indra (2005), "GenderFusion", Queer Theory, Macmillan Education UK, pp. 130–141, doi:10.1007/978-0-230-21162-9_11, ISBN   9781403916945
  17. ↑ Lapina (2016). "Lesbian Lives in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia: Post/Socialism and Gendered Sexualities". QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking. 3 (3): 201–203. doi:10.14321/qed.3.3.0201. ISSN   2327-1574. S2CID   151380643.
  18. ↑ "American Photographer Del LaGrace Volcano – Intersex Campaign for Equality" . Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  19. ↑ "Del LaGrace Volcano | 4 Exhibitions and Events". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  20. ↑ "DEL LaGRACE VOLCANE: A Mid-Career Retrospective". Leslie-Lohman Museum. 2012-09-19. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  21. 1 2 "Publications [ permanent dead link ]". Del LaGrace Volcano official website.
  22. ↑ Gabb, Jacqui (November 1998). "Marginal differences? An analysis of the imag(in)ed bodies of Del LaGrace". Journal of Gender Studies. 7 (3): 297–305. doi:10.1080/09589236.1998.9960723. ISSN   0958-9236.
  23. ↑ Corinne, Tee A. (2001-11-08). "How Lesbian Artists Support Their Art". Journal of Lesbian Studies. 5 (3): 43–52. doi:10.1300/j155v05n03_05. ISSN   1089-4160. PMID   24802822. S2CID   42508775.
  24. ↑ Villiers, Nicholas de (2007). "Review of Queer Archives in a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives". Cultural Critique (66): 179–183. ISSN   0882-4371. JSTOR   4539813.
  25. ↑ Surkan, Kim (2003-04-29). "Drag Kings in the New Wave". Journal of Homosexuality. 43 (3–4): 161–186. doi:10.1300/j082v43n03_10. ISSN   0091-8369. PMID   12769278. S2CID   24470462.
  26. ↑ Bianchi, June (2008-10-22). "More than a Body's Work: Widening Cultural Participation through an International Exploration of Young People's Construction of Visual Image and Identity". International Journal of Art & Design Education. 27 (3): 293–308. doi:10.1111/j.1476-8070.2008.00585.x. ISSN   1476-8062.
  27. ↑ McLeod Allegra (December 21, 2000). "Sublime Mutations Archived 2009-05-08 at the Wayback Machine ", GaydarNation.
  28. ↑ "Sublime Mutations". Amazon.com.
  29. ↑ Stryker, Susan (2013-10-18). Stryker, Susan; Whittle, Stephen (eds.). The Transgender Studies Reader. doi:10.4324/9780203955055. ISBN   9780203955055.
  30. 1 2 Steinbock, E. (2014-01-01). "Generative Negatives: Del LaGrace Volcano's Herm Body Photographs". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 1 (4): 539–551. doi:10.1215/23289252-2815228. ISSN   2328-9252.
  31. ↑ "Tim Stüttgen: Post Porn Loss: Precarious Intellect. Notizen zum Ausgesetztsein", Interdisziplinäres Kolloquium zur Geschlechterforschung II, Peter Lang, 2014, doi:10.3726/978-3-653-02691-7/20, ISBN   9783631627020
  32. ↑ Barth, Elisa, ed. (2013). Inter: Erfahrungen intergeschlechtlicher Menschen in der Welt der zwei Geschlechter (in German). Berlin: NoNo Verlag. ISBN   978-3-942471-03-9.
  33. ↑ Morland, Iain; Willox, Annabelle, eds. (November 2004). Queer Theory. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   9781403916938 . Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  34. ↑ Creighton, S. M.; Greenberg, J. A.; Roen, K.; Volcano, D. L. (2009-01-01). "Intersex Practice, Theory, and Activism: A Roundtable Discussion". GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 15 (2): 249–260. doi:10.1215/10642684-2008-136. S2CID   145737932.
  35. ↑ Morland, Iain, ed. (2009). Intersex and After. Vol. 15. ISBN   978-0-8223-6705-5. Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-26.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  36. ↑ Volcano, Del Lagrace; Ulrika, Dahl (2008-01-01). Femmes of power : exploding queer femininities. Serpent's Tail. ISBN   9781846686641. OCLC   473068316.
  37. ↑ de Jong, Wilma; Shaw, Martin; Stammers, Neil, eds. (2015-11-30). Global Activism, Global Media. Pluto Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt183q4qr. ISBN   9781849644778.
  38. ↑ Gorrell, Michael Gorrell (2011). "E-books on EBSCOhost: Combining NetLibrary E-books with the EBSCOhost Platform". Information Standards Quarterly. 23 (2): 31. doi:10.3789/isqv23n2.2011.07. ISSN   1041-0031.
  39. ↑ Gibson, Linda (25 October 1992). "Quim's on show". The Pink Paper.
  40. ↑ The Advocate, 2 Sep 2003 The Advocate , p. 55, at Google Books
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.