Vaginal Davis
Encyclopedia
Vaginal Davis is an American genderqueer
performing artist, painter, independent curator, composer, and writer. Davis's name is a homage to activist Angela Davis
.
, Margaret Cho
, Beck
, and Ernesto Tomasini
, and has collaborated with underground
photographers/filmmakers Bruce LaBruce
, Rick Castro
, G. B. Jones
, the performance artist Ron Athey
and, more recently, with the Cheap art collective in Berlin, Germany.
Since the late 1970s, Davis has led many conceptual art bands, beginning with "The Afro Sisters". Davis is also a founding member of "¡Cholita!" with Alice Bag
(of seminal 1970's punk band The Bags
). He co-founded "Pedro, Muriel & Esther (PME)" with Glen Meadmore
. PME recorded their first single for independent record label
Amoeba Records, and went on to record The White To Be Angry with producer Steve Albini
. She was in a band called Black Fag with Beck's mother Bibbe Hansen
, and more recently, as a part of her collaboration with Cheap in Berlin, Davis formed a band called Ruth Fischer (Fischer was a leader in the Communist Party of Germany
).
In Los Angeles, Davis is also known for hosting and DJing a range of performance and music events. One of the most prominent was Bricktops (2002–2005) - a weekly salon/speak-easy inspired by vaudevillian Bricktop.
She also hosted and DJed a Sunday afternoon music event called "Sucker" (1994–2000). She and artist Ron Athey
curated and hosted GIMP (2000–2001), a monthly night of performance art.
Davis' film and video projects include The White to Be Angry (1999), Designy Living (1994), "One Man Ladies" (with Glenn Belverio
, 1994), Three Faces of Women (1993). She appears in films such as Super 8½ (Bruce LaBruce, 1994), Hustler White
(Bruce LaBruce and Rick Castro, 1998) and The Lollipop Generation
(G.B. Jones, 2008) She also appeared in an episode of Gideon's Crossing
.
Vaginal Davis is the publisher and editor of the zines Fertile Latoyah Jackson Magazine (sic) and Shrimp. She has contributed writing to many publications, including Glue (in which he had a column called "Because I Said So"), "UR Chicago", Ben Is Dead
, J.D.s
, and the LA Weekly
. One of her stories was anthologized in The Best American Erotica of 2003, edited by Susie Bright
. She regularly writes for the German/Dutch Zoo Magazine
. She also has an upcoming book entitled Beware the Holy Whore, a compilation of her interviews with celebrities like Keanu Reeves
, Missy Elliott
, and Eminem
.
In her performances, Davis adopts a range of personae, some of which are entirely her own creation (e.g. Saint Salicia Tate), some of which are based on actual people (Bricktop, and Vanessa Beecroft
).
In 2007, Vaginal Davis moved from Los Angeles to Berlin, Germany
.
Genderqueer
Genderqueer is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity...
performing artist, painter, independent curator, composer, and writer. Davis's name is a homage to activist Angela Davis
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
.
Life and career
Davis is often associated with the formation of the Queer-Core Zine Movement. She has performed with such artists as Lisa LampanelliLisa Lampanelli
Lisa Lampanelli is an American stand-up comedian and insult comic. She is noted for her racy and raunchy style of comedy, which frequently includes taboo subjects such as race and homosexuality....
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, and Ernesto Tomasini
Ernesto Tomasini
Ernesto Tomasini is an Italian actor/singer/writer living in Britain. Best known for his more recent forays into contemporary music, he has behind himself a 20 year career on the stage.-Early performances:...
, and has collaborated with underground
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
photographers/filmmakers Bruce LaBruce
Bruce LaBruce
Bruce LaBruce is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, photographer and underground gay porn director based in Toronto, Ontario.-Biography:...
, Rick Castro
Rick Castro
Rick Castro is an American photographer, motion picture director and stylist whose work focuses on bondage and sado-masochistic sex.-Early life:Rick Castro was born in Los Angeles, California....
, G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines based in Toronto, Canada. Her drawings have been featured at galleries around the world, and her films screened at numerous film festivals, both in Canada and abroad...
, the performance artist Ron Athey
Ron Athey
Ron Athey is an American performance artist associated with body art and with extreme performance art. He has performed in the U.S. and internationally . Athey's work explores challenging subjects like the relationships between desire, sexuality, and traumatic experience...
and, more recently, with the Cheap art collective in Berlin, Germany.
Since the late 1970s, Davis has led many conceptual art bands, beginning with "The Afro Sisters". Davis is also a founding member of "¡Cholita!" with Alice Bag
Alice Bag
Alice Bag is a punk rock singer. She is famous for being a member of The Bags, one of the first and most popular bands on the L.A. punk scene. She is also a member of Stay at Home Bomb and teaches at inner city schools. She was also in the band Castration Squad with Phranc.-External links:*...
(of seminal 1970's punk band The Bags
The Bags
The Bags were an American rock band formed in 1977. They were one of the first generation of punk rock bands to emerge out of Los Angeles, California.-Career:...
). He co-founded "Pedro, Muriel & Esther (PME)" with Glen Meadmore
Glen Meadmore
Glen Meadmore is a Canadian musician, actor and performance artist currently residing in Los Angeles. He has been described as "...the world's greatest exponent of the genre known as gay Christian punk". He is sometimes referred to as "Cowpunk".-Biography:...
. PME recorded their first single for independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Amoeba Records, and went on to record The White To Be Angry with producer Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
. She was in a band called Black Fag with Beck's mother Bibbe Hansen
Bibbe Hansen
Bibbe Hansen is a performance artist, musician, and former actress best known as the mother of Grammy award winning musician Beck.-Family:...
, and more recently, as a part of her collaboration with Cheap in Berlin, Davis formed a band called Ruth Fischer (Fischer was a leader in the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
).
In Los Angeles, Davis is also known for hosting and DJing a range of performance and music events. One of the most prominent was Bricktops (2002–2005) - a weekly salon/speak-easy inspired by vaudevillian Bricktop.
She also hosted and DJed a Sunday afternoon music event called "Sucker" (1994–2000). She and artist Ron Athey
Ron Athey
Ron Athey is an American performance artist associated with body art and with extreme performance art. He has performed in the U.S. and internationally . Athey's work explores challenging subjects like the relationships between desire, sexuality, and traumatic experience...
curated and hosted GIMP (2000–2001), a monthly night of performance art.
Davis' film and video projects include The White to Be Angry (1999), Designy Living (1994), "One Man Ladies" (with Glenn Belverio
Glenn Belverio
Glenn Belverio, born 1975, is a journalist and editor based in New York, New York.In the 1990s, Belverio was a filmmaker and performance artist, whose 1993 collaboration with best-selling author Camille Paglia on the short film "Glennda and Camille Do Downtown," gained international attention...
, 1994), Three Faces of Women (1993). She appears in films such as Super 8½ (Bruce LaBruce, 1994), Hustler White
Hustler White
Hustler White is a 1996 film by Bruce LaBruce and Rick Castro, a satiric black sex comedy about gay hustlers and their customers in Santa Monica, California. It stars Tony Ward and LaBruce in an addition to the Queer Cinema canon, which is also an homage to classic Hollywood cinema...
(Bruce LaBruce and Rick Castro, 1998) and The Lollipop Generation
The Lollipop Generation
The Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008....
(G.B. Jones, 2008) She also appeared in an episode of Gideon's Crossing
Gideon's Crossing
Gideon's Crossing is a US medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series was loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book The Measure of Our Days. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ran for one season, with its last episode airing on April 9, 2001, with...
.
Vaginal Davis is the publisher and editor of the zines Fertile Latoyah Jackson Magazine (sic) and Shrimp. She has contributed writing to many publications, including Glue (in which he had a column called "Because I Said So"), "UR Chicago", Ben Is Dead
Ben Is Dead
Ben Is Dead was a Los Angeles-based zine published from 1988 through 1999. Its creator, Deborah "Darby" Romeo, got its name from a dream she had about her husband Ben, a Frenchman she divorced not long into the magazine's run...
, J.D.s
J.D.s
J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991....
, and the LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
. One of her stories was anthologized in The Best American Erotica of 2003, edited by Susie Bright
Susie Bright
Susannah "Susie" Bright is an American writer, speaker, teacher, audio-show host, and performer, all on the subject of sexuality....
. She regularly writes for the German/Dutch Zoo Magazine
Zoo Magazine
Zoo Magazine was also the name of a magazine formerly produced by the Zoological Society of London for its Young Zoologists' Club.Zoo Magazine is a magazine based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that was first created on 25 September 2003. It focuses on fashion, art, literature and architecture and is...
. She also has an upcoming book entitled Beware the Holy Whore, a compilation of her interviews with celebrities like Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, and Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
.
In her performances, Davis adopts a range of personae, some of which are entirely her own creation (e.g. Saint Salicia Tate), some of which are based on actual people (Bricktop, and Vanessa Beecroft
Vanessa Beecroft
Vanessa Beecroft is an Italian contemporary artist living in Los Angeles.-Artistic practice:Beecroft's work is a fusion of conceptual issues and aesthetic concerns, focusing on large-scale performance art, usually involving live female models...
).
In 2007, Vaginal Davis moved from Los Angeles to Berlin, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Filmography
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
| 1994 | Designy Living | |||
| Three Faces Of Women | Director | |||
| 1995 | Super 8½ | |||
| Live Nude Girls Live Nude Girls (film) Live Nude Girls is a 1995 comedy film featuring Dana Delany, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Stevenson, Laila Robins, Olivia d'Abo and others. The film writer and director Julianna Lavin plays the role of a minor character.-Plot:... |
Pool Man | |||
| 1996 | Hustler White Hustler White Hustler White is a 1996 film by Bruce LaBruce and Rick Castro, a satiric black sex comedy about gay hustlers and their customers in Santa Monica, California. It stars Tony Ward and LaBruce in an addition to the Queer Cinema canon, which is also an homage to classic Hollywood cinema... |
Buster Boote | ||
| 1999 | Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please? | |||
| The White To Be Angry | Director | |||
| 2008 | The Lollipop Generation The Lollipop Generation The Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008.... |
Beulah Blacktress | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1993 | Tales of the City | Endup Emcee | 1 episode | |
| 2001 | Gideon's Crossing Gideon's Crossing Gideon's Crossing is a US medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series was loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book The Measure of Our Days. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ran for one season, with its last episode airing on April 9, 2001, with... |
Eddie | 1 episode | |
Sources
- José Muñoz, Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999) ISBN 0-8166-3015-1
- Jennifer Doyle, Sex Objects: Art and the Dialectics of Desire (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006). ISBN 0-8166-4526-4
External links
- Vaginal Davis Official Site
- Vaginal Davis at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Zines of Vaginal Davis
- The Cholita! Page
- The Cholita! Family Tree, compiled by Ms. Davis
- Vaginal Davis in The Lollipop Generation
- Bruce LaBruce essay on Davis