A collective research on LGBT+ memory and SP nightlife
Nightlife stories and memories access materialities of everyday practices, recognizing clubs as crucial spaces for sociability, artistic production, and activism for LGBT+ individuals.
missboneca66 (1966) by CruzeiroAcervo Bajubá
Drag art is one of the earliest records we find of dissenting individuals engaged in the production of identities and gender expressions, shaping today's understanding of who LGBT+ people are.
"Club Door" exhibition view (2023) by Mariano FigueraAcervo Bajubá
In June 2023, the Bajubá Collection held the exhibition "Club Door" at Bananal Arte e Cultura Contemporânea, a cultural space in São Paulo. It was developed through a collaborative research and curation process involving items from the collection.
Introducing five axes: Towel on the head (inspirations and initial setups), Gemstones (materials, crafts, and technologies developed by artists), Mixtape (performance and nightlife), Vanity case (itineraries and circuits), and After (other possible paths for research work).
Towel on the head
Transformism is an art of exercising freedoms, often beginning with moments of experimentation and discovery. A headscarf transforms into a wig, a sheet becomes a dress, coming to life through lip-sync and musical interpretation with improvised microphones.
Lufer Sattui's photographAcervo Bajubá
"And like every queer child, it's basically the same routine. Towel becomes hair. An amazing wig, right? The kid thought they had curly hair almost reaching the floor. The bathrobe turned into a dress. And the kid just kept spinning, spinning, and singing..." (Lufer Sattui)
Gemstones
Prepare the skin, apply makeup, brush the wig, pick the outfit, choose the footwear, contour, finish the padding. Select the music, practice lip-syncing, and rehearse the choreography. Prepare jokes and master pajubá.
"Club Door" exhibition view (2023) by Mariano FigueiraAcervo Bajubá
Drag artists craft their performances drawing from backstage lessons in clubs, beauty contests, and everyday life. Materials, skills, and technologies endure through time, thanks to the stories of the more experienced.
Victoria Principal and Marcinha do Corintho at the Porta de Boate exhibition (2023) by Alessandro FritzenAcervo Bajubá
Victoria Principal (on the left) used to sell flowers outside Homo Sapiens until one day Frank Ross noticed her lip-syncing skills and invited her to perform on their stage. Listen to the audio to learn how she started her career.
Mixtape
Hostesses, caricaturists, parodists, singers, dancers, burlesque performers, beauty queens... Every type of performance needs to find its stage. In São Paulo, from the 1970s onwards, we find a variety of nightclubs where drag artists presented their shows.
Party flyer in celebration of 50 Brazilian nightclubs by Acervo BajubáAcervo Bajubá
Hi-fi, K7, Medieval, Nostro Mondo, Off, Shock, Gay Club, Homo Sapiens, Val Improviso, Prohibido’s, Studio Twenty For, Grant’s, Gent’s, Mad Queen, Tunnel, Danger, Blue Space, are some of the nightclubs that composed the drag show circuit in the city.
Medieval nightclub invitation by Acervo BajubáAcervo Bajubá
Medieval and Nostro Mondo were two pioneering drag show clubs in São Paulo's nightlife, both opening in the early 1970s. However, while Medieval closed in 1984, Nostro continued until 2014. Listen to Yuri Fraccaroli's audio about these two venues.
Greatta Star apresentando concurso na NostroMondo by Acervo pessoal Gretta StarAcervo Bajubá
"Look, folks, I don't know what's going on. This song is deeply connected to my life, to everything I've been through. But I want to tell you, if you have doubts, I'll clear them up now. I am HIV positive, but I am okay." (Gretta Starr)
Vanity case
Rogéria: the travesti of the Brazilian family. Since the 1960s, she did it all, carrying her vanity case and art beyond nightclubs. Like her, from the 1980s, drag artists circulated on television, in theater, and during Carnival.
Magazine report on Rogéria (1990) by Acervo BajubáAcervo Bajubá
The "Clube do Bolinha" was a variety show aired on Saturdays by Rede Bandeirantes from 1974 to 1994. In the 1980s and 1990s, one of its segments, "Eles e Elas", featured drag shows.
Magazine report on travesti presence in São Paulo (1979) by Acervo BajubáAcervo Bajubá
This hasn't always meant recognition of their craft, financial stability, or respect for the gender expressions they mobilized. Exile and forced migration abroad are common experiences threading through many of their journeys.
Dita Absinthe (2023) by Alessandro FritzenAcervo Bajubá
Dita's Sofa
Interviews conducted by Dita Absinthe inspired by the iconic Miss Bia's Sofa at Nostro Mondo, where the character Herbe interviewed celebrities. Participants included Thalia Bombinha, Gretta Starr, Victoria Principal, Marcinha do Corintho, Ginger Moon, Hinácio King, and Júpiter.
After
The party never ends: our research brought other possible themes to the dance floor, such as the relationship between transformism and sexuality, the repercussions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, beauty pageants, drag king and queer art, creative economy circuits, etc.
1st National Drag Queens Meeting (1997) by Acervo BajubáAcervo Bajubá
Curatorship
Acervo Bajubá
Research
Bruno O., Lufer Sattui, Marcos Tolentino, Natan, Rafael Vasconcelos Barboza, Thiago Melo and Yuri Fraccaroli
Support
Juan Gonçalves, Julia Gumieri, Otavio Torres and Otavio Oliveira
Production
Alessandro Fritzen, Bruno O., Lufer Sattui, Marcos Tolentino, Natan, Rafael Vasconcelos Barboza and Thiago Melo
Original Art
Natan
Design
Bruno O.
Translation
Bruno O. and Marcos Tolentino
Thanks to
Bananal, Grupo de Incentivo à Vida (GIV), Andressa Turner, Ginger Moon, Gretta Star, Hinacio Kuing, Júpiter, Marcinha do Corintho, Thalia Bombinha and Victoria Principal.
