The Margins are for us, not them.

The Margins is a lavish, lurid new media series and installation depicting what it looks like to party in the margins. Inspired by Disco and the era’s inclusive extravagance, the hedonistic space showcases the “partygoers” using the space for liberation. This work is a direct criticism of the exclusion of marginalized individuals in fine art and in society, and the lack of representation in media. The term “party in the margins” is coined by the late writer bell hooks, and popularized by Michelle Visage and RuPaul Charles.

Functioning in three parts, the installation features a vivid portrait series with glowing representations of the artist’s friends and peers embracing what makes them marginalized. In addition, lurid GIFs are featured as strobing imagery that plays in tandem with the installation’s curated soundtrack. Lastly, the entire space is transformed into a party, mimicking the aesthetics of American house parties and discotheques of yesteryear.

The Margins are meant for us, not them. They have pushed us to the margins, telling us that we should work hard to be where they are. Why? Why should we be like them? We are dynamic, beautiful, and better in every way. We should celebrate that. Let’s party here. Let’s enjoy ourselves in The Margins. All of their hate and bigotry is outside where it should be.

So let the music play!

What’s a Gesamtkunstwerk?

A Gesamtkunstwerk, or a “total piece of art” is a German word used to describe a piece of art that has been totally addressed and conceptualized. Every physical element in The Margins has been addressed and conceptualized.