{"id":3831,"date":"2026-01-07T12:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=3831"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:12:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T19:12:00","slug":"birds-of-mexico-city-celebrates-a-new-generation-defining-queerness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=3831","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Birds of Mexico City\u2019 Celebrates a New Generation Defining Queerness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u2018Birds<\/p>\n

Dutch photographer Pieter Henket<\/a> has spent the past few years spotlighting the innovative and subversive fashionings of Mexico City\u2019s queer communities. After a lengthy period in the capital, he teamed up with stylist Chino Castilla<\/a> to create portraits of dancers, performers, and even locals he encountered while strolling through the park. Together, they wanted to highlight \u201cthe boundaries between Mexico\u2019s deeply rooted Catholic traditions and the freedom of modern self-expression,\u201d Henket says.<\/p>\n

Resulting is a captivating collection that defies notions of cultural identity, gender, sexuality, and even queerness itself. Shot in black and white, Birds of Mexico City<\/em> zeroes in on the textures of cracked walls and peeling paint lining the weathered space and the particulars of the subjects\u2019 garments. Frilly, lace pleats, a shock of dried foliage, and masks trimmed with fringe both accentuate and obscure the figures\u2019 bodies, while presenting an exuberant aesthetic of contrast.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cOtokani\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In \u201cFuerza,\u201d for example, a clean-cut muscular figure flexes in leopard-print thigh-highs and heels, a juxtaposition echoed in \u201cRaul,\u201d which features a demure young person revealing soccer attire underneath a corsetted gown. \u201cChisme\u201d similarly documents a seated figure sporting both a flower crown and a Luchador mask<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As corporations co-opt Pride<\/a> and attempt to position rainbow hues as synonymous with queerness, Henket\u2019s decision to strip the images of color requires the viewer to go beyond a surface-level reading of what it means to express one\u2019s identity. The portraits are also at once expansive and local: they incorporate unusual materials like twigs and gilded frames, yet are deeply rooted in their regional context through accessories like the Luchador masks.<\/p>\n

Striking in composition and message, Birds of Mexico City<\/em> offers a glimpse into a flourishing community redefining queerness and belonging. The collection, Henket adds, \u201cspeaks to freedom, identity, and resilience, revealed through the quiet beauty I found in Mexico City.\u201d<\/p>\n

The entire series will be released in a monograph this spring from Damiani, and you can pre-order a copy on Bookshop<\/a>. Until then, explore more of Henket\u2019s work on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cFuerza\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cLa Familia\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cChisme\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cRaul\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cConfinamiento\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cLa Mujer\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the
\u2018Birds of Mexico City\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article \u2018Birds of Mexico City\u2019 Celebrates a New Generation Defining Queerness<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dutch photographer Pieter Henket has spent the past few years spotlighting the innovative and subversive fashionings of Mexico City\u2019s queer communities. After a lengthy period in the capital, he teamed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}