"We were supposed to open a salon, and use the money we'll earn to sustain ourselves and live in another country.
We planned on getting married. But our hopes and dreams died along with him.”
Castles in the Sky
"Castles in the Sky" is a day-in-a-life series about a gay drag queen who performs in a cabaret bar in Siem Reap, Cambodia. During the day, Sky works as a hair and makeup artist for brides and grooms and designs clothes as a way of living. By night, he transforms into a female persona and performs live on stage. As he grieves over the loss of his partner, Sky is reminded on a daily basis of the future they had planned together.
With the glitz and the glamour of the mainstream drag culture, the audience is conditioned to perceive performers in the show business and entertainment industry as people who always live free, openly happy, and vivid lives. We fail to look beyond the barrage of masks and costumes that these colorful characters bring on stage because of these preconceived notions. Perhaps, behind the ethereal and alluring armors lie the vulnerabilities of a truly human life.
This short documentary was my project as a participant at the 15th Angkor Photo Workshop held at Siem Reap, Cambodia.
This series was part of the Closing Night: Workshop Showcase at the 15th Angkor Photo Festival under the guidance of photography mentors Kosuke Okahara and Veejay Villafranca.
© 2019, Pau Villanueva. All rights reserved.