Pink on Pink: Disturbing Normative Gender Representations

“Pink on Pink” sees Tel Aviv based photographer Malkiella Benchabat exploring concepts of masculinity and queerness through subject Asis D’Orange, an Israeli Vogue diva.

Malkiella explains how she “seek(s) to create sensitive images while relating to, relying on, and simultaneously disturbing normative gender representations. I think my relationship to the process of creating gender obsessed representations is complicated; I acknowledge the construct, accept its normative constructed representation, and reinforce the construct by duplication, but eventually, I decide to disturb it by subtle or aggressive means. I think this tension is evident in the series with Asis D’Orange/Aviv Shalem. As pink is marked as a feminine color in western cultures, I relied on this pre-assumption to state Asis’s queer self and life. Through different situations of awareness, action and display while using PINK I wanted to create a holistic portrait of Asis through MY EYES.

I know Asis from drag performances and queer parties, and I know that he/she/they live a fruitarian and queer lifestyle, and I just felt that she embodies the emotions I want present in my life, as well as in my images – dreamy romance and bodily lust. As the images are inspired by Aviv Shalem’s (Asis D’Orange) performance work, persona and personal life, the series aims to depict the various facets of Asis/Aviv/Drag performer/Vogue Diva.”

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