Rhapsody Happens

Kingpins

In 2006, Gertrude Contemporary presented The Kingpins' first major solo show in Melbourne, following the preceding inclusion of their work in exhibitions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sydney, Korea and Indonesia. The Kingpins are a collaborative group from Sydney whose performance, video and installation works incorporate drag king culture, subversion, pop iconography and musical oddities, challenging our assumptions at every turn and forcing us to re-assess who we think we are. For this exhibition, a Rhapsody Happens presented as a three-channel video installation which narrates a surreal biker odyssey, replete with 50-foot go-go banshees, mirrored bikers suspended in rapturous mid-jump, and a glittering nighttime roadscape to hold these strange and impossible bodies. Rhapsody Happens pushed the Kingpins' practice into a captivating new terrain, amplifying their darkly subversive mix of gender fluidity, subculture and twisted symbolism, and intensifying their cheekily critical take on our culture of consumer trash. 

Supported by ACCA, ACMI and Manfax Paint Centre.