Dragzina

This immersive experience is going to challenge your perception of space. The LGBTQIA+ community is often disoriented within heteronormative spaces, and this work reverses that dichotomy by disorienting the audience.

Through the poetics of augmented reality and cinematic holograms, the Dragzina community and I work together to amplify their voices toward freedom of human individuality. You are about to become a part of this performance that I created in collaboration with Masha Vorslav, a leader of the gender play community in Moscow. Besides Masha, you will see Lorina Rey, Anoche Xenon, Skinny Jenny with Robert, and the Home Drag Race collective of Vanessa Diziai, Ramona Vile, and Vannet.

This virtual, magical environment that we created represents a typical underground queer club or party that allows disruption of the state dictatorship. This is where an image of a better future is born.

Nikita Shokhov (US)img
Nikita Shokhov is a visual artist, the human being is the central subject of his practice along with philosophical agendas. He works with XR, documentary, volumetric video, photography, and film. His VR work was officially selected at FIVARS Festival (Canada), he was a finalist at Cannes XR Development Showcase (France), recipient of World Press Photo (Netherlands) and Nova Art (Russia) awards. Studied immersive environments in Virginia Tech; experimental filmmaking in California Institute of the Arts; and documentary photography in Rodchenko Art School Moscow; he participated in The Watermill Center theater residency. He had shows and screenings in such institutions as Spring/Break Art Show (Los Angeles and New York), Redcat Cinema (Los Angeles), GRAD Gallery (London), ACM IMX (online), Photoquai Biennale (Paris), Manifesta Biennale (St. Petersburg), Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow Multimedia Art Museum, Artdocfest (Moscow).

https://www.nikitashokhov.art/works/dragzina