HOMECOMING QUEENZ

Video 11:15 | Shot by IPhone and Samsung | 2012

"Homecoming Queenz" is a collaborative work between artist Oz Marinov and myself, documenting an art performance captured entirely on smartphones at Lydd Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport). This piece captures my return from abroad, dressed in full drag, as I navigate the public space of the airport.

This performance is a bold statement on visibility, identity, and the act of reclaiming space, confronting societal norms and expectations head-on. The work challenges conventional ideas of self-expression and public behavior by choosing to perform in drag in such a prominent location. It highlights the complex and often hostile environment created by the apartheid regime in Israel, where individuals are treated as subhuman based on their appearance and choices, such as how they dress. The aggressive treatment I faced at the airport underscores the pervasive discrimination and the regime's efforts to maintain a specific social order, including the phenomenon of pink-washing, where LGBTQ+ rights are superficially promoted while masking the ongoing oppression of marginalized communities and occupied land.

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Languages: Arabic and Hebrew.

Subtitles: English