Jean Harlow, Drag Queen Ball, Long Beach 1971

Anthony Friedkin shot this silver gelatin print of a performer at a drag ball in Long Beach. It’s a black and white photograph, but it somehow shimmers, like sequins or glitter. There’s something about the way light falls on the performer's face that’s both glamorous and vulnerable. The heavy eye makeup, the carefully styled hair, the beaded dress – it's all constructed, performative. But then you notice the slight droop of the mouth, the way the eyes seem to search, and you're reminded of the human being beneath the surface. Look at the hand reaching in from the side, adorned with feathers. It's almost theatrical, like a stage curtain being pulled back to reveal the star. It reminds me a bit of some of Nan Goldin’s portraits, or perhaps even some of Diane Arbus’s photographs of performers, in the way that it captures the raw humanity within a carefully constructed persona. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about fixed meanings, but about exploring the complexities of identity.