Gold: Dear Father
Dear Father redefines the bond between father and son, exploring acceptance through a role reversal. As I painted my father's face, we forged a new understanding. He became the performer, while my queerness, long hair, and piercings became normalized. His exaggerated eyes, hair, and makeup transformed into a familiar reflection, allowing me to step out of my performance.
I photographed my father, a traditional farmer and religious man performing everyday tasks on our Brazilian farm, aiming to recapture childhood memories. Familiar scenes of him tending the farm, riding his motorcycle, or slaughtering a sheep were given new life by his willingness to do so in drag.
This engaged and expressive man, keen to be photographed up close in full makeup, was someone I had never recognized before. The project became a meeting point between photographer and subject, father and son.
Having faced misunderstanding and haunted by the boy who despised himself for being gay, who didn’t become a farmer or engineer, but was labelled ‘golo’ (a family’s dialect homophobic slur), this project directly addresses those who misunderstand and label. ‘Golo’ once taunted me, but now it inspires me to create change. In Dear Father, I have escaped this colloquial tag through an experimental and intimate exploration of our relationship. The project has become a means for my father to demonstrate his acceptance and encouragement, bringing us to communicate our feelings and sending a clear message to extended family and friends in Brazil who labelled me.
Dear Father has become a cherished, microcosmic yet profound message that we are all capable of understanding much more than we realize. My father, riding his motorbike through the farm with the wind flowing through his bouffant hair, is a testament to that on so many levels.
Dear Father, I remember learning the word hypocrite from you.
The image depicts a person standing outdoors in a rural setting, watering plants with a hose. The individual, who wears a striking curly black wig and bold drag makeup, is dressed in a blue striped polo shirt. Their makeup is dramatic, featuring heavy eyeshadow and lipstick, which contrasts with the otherwise humble and earthy environment. Water droplets are suspended in the air, catching the sunlight as they sprinkle over the plants, adding a sense of movement and life to the scene. The background is an open field, typical of a rural farm or countryside, with freshly tilled red soil and a distant horizon of greenery. The person’s posture and expression suggest a calm focus as they care for the plants, bringing a tender and nurturing quality to the image. Despite the rural simplicity, the individual's striking appearance suggests a complex narrative or personal expression that juxtaposes with the everyday task of watering plants. The scene feels intimate, hinting at a deeper connection to the land and perhaps an underlying message about identity, self-expression, and tradition. The mix of the vibrant rural landscape and the bold, theatrical presence of the person creates a visually engaging and thought-provoking composition.
