Great Britain is known for it’s grey and rainy weather, but where there’s rain, there might also be a rainbow. In this case a very colourful and shimmering rainbow: The drag queens and LGBTQI party-goers. Photographer Charley Williams portrays the queer community of her hometown Bristol, one of the most progressive and vibrant places in Britain. She manages to catch this liberating spirit in her work.
The photo of Montell Cunningham mid-transformation into his alter-ego Dominique Fleek got shortlisted for the Portrait of Britain 2018. For Charley it was important to show both the masculine and feminine aspects of his personality because it symbolizes the ongoing cultural shift towards gender and sexual fluidity.
Unfortunately, as a LGBTQ person of color Montell is confronted with discrimination on a daily basis and at higher risk of attack because of his orientation and race. With her work, Charley wants to make a statement and push back against all the hatred and homophobia.
Her main interest has always been how people present themselves to the world. The struggle between rejecting labels and still holding on to them to define who we are fascinates her. Therefore drag has been and still will be a huge topic for her in the future.
Charley says about herself, that she enjoys to photograph the wacky and interesting, anything that pushes the boundaries. Her love for watching people plays well with her artistic work, since her patience to wait for the right moment becomes visible in her photographs.
If you want to know more about Charley visit her website.