Dontà Whitham, a proud First Nations artist (Ambrym mob – South Sea Islanders).

The work is an exploration into the un-staged events of a performer. We are all familiar with a performer on stage. You see polish, finesse and a pressured strive for perfection. This body of work flips the coin, illustrating a performer in their rawest form backstage. The viewers join the performer, as you both find yourself in an old theatre storage room. A time capsule, storing abandoned artefacts buried under years of dust. Costumes, scuffed wigs and floors scattered by rhinestones and opened magazines. Feeling inquisitive, you disturb the untouched peace of the space.

You inspect each shelf and flick through the crowded racks. Each coat hanger carries a new opportunity to escape yourself, into a different character, a different time, a different spirit. You allow yourself to have fun, whether this was being a Burlesque show girl or Rapunzel.
It eventually turns into a game, where you both aim to unbury the most impressively interesting or bizarre piece.
Its light-hearted, unserious, a moment of relief. A far cry from the performer’s restless reality.

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I wanted to create this shoot as a love letter to my younger self, growing up as a flamboyant dancer, in a rural coastal town (Yeppoon, QLD). With this being said, I was forced to reminisce the carefree feminine energy I exuded, as I unapologetically obsessed over Lady Gaga and often belting my baggy shirts, into the silhouette of a dress. A boldness I possessed, that was questioned when I got older, by the world of heteronormativity around me.
A world stuck in the comfort of binaries.

I didn’t realise I was subverting any gender norms. I truly never saw gender as a boundary to express myself.

Yeppoon is rich in nature. Its greenery and sand consume the space around you, forcing to be present. You can sit yourself down anywhere and be welcomed waves that stretch their arms out to you. Or receive a kiss from the tropical sun, as it squeezes between the gaps of the trees. It took me detaching from this space (moving to the city) to reflect and be amazed about how innately feminine all of this is. My culture justifies this too, as we refer to Earth as a Mother. It made all the femininity I possessed feel less like a crime. I was born feminine, from Mother, on Mother Earth. Cambridge Dictionary defines femininity, “as the fact or quality of having characteristics that are traditionally thought to be a typical of or suitable for a woman.” I wanted to expand this definition because to me, femininity is beyond gender or even beyond humanity itself. It’s something that’s far more profound. It’s a beauty that doesn’t condescend you but, invites you to find the beauty in yourself. A beauty that makes you feel safe but free. In light of this, the initial of the shoot was unveiling specific hidden femininities I found within nature, that are often overlooked. However, the shoot day carved itself a different story.

You could say this ‘being backstage stage’ idea, was hiding in my subconscious this entire time.
Creating this shoot was a form of escapism, during the high intensity of performing at the Sydney Opera House. Becoming my dressing room hobby.

When the day arrived to shoot the project, the only things I brought on set was a ballet jockstrap and a stack of 90s Herb Ritts magazines, borrowed from my housemate. These magazines sparked the 4 of us, a photographer, a model, a hair stylist, a make-up artist, using Ritts work and the initial deck to inspire further ideas. Unintentionally, we created ourselves a playground, where we could be adventurous and imaginative. It didn’t occur till the last look when Matt and I realised we’d gone off script. Upon reflection, the whole playful energy of the space took me to a very niche experience as a dancer. Often dance studios have an attic, storing discarded props, old costumes and nostalgia. During breaks at the studio, us dancers, would find ourselves reminiscing in these attics, mucking around, wearing pieces and simply just having some light-hearted fun. The energy of this memory felt very similar to the shoot day.

I find comfort in the fact the shoot created was a product of the Earth’s femininity. I truly believe it reflects in all beauty created. But also, to me, it shows that its innate quality I express when I detach myself from the binaries of society.

Throughout this work, I was offered many times of self-reflection, in the way I create work as an artist. A mental motif I was consistently confronted was ‘detachment from expectations,’ whether this was societal or even the idea of the product created. When you surrender to not having expectations, you subconsciously open more portals of creative opportunities. You gain a sense of peace, ease, allowing yourself to have fun.

Feat. ARTIST, Creative Director and Model: Dontà WHITham
Photographer: JESSE-LEIGH ELFORD
Hair: Matthew Ashton

Makeup: VINCENT PHAN