Drag portraits on show at unique Pride exhibition

An exhibition of drag portraits is being showcased in Brighton to coincide with the city's Pride celebrations.

Lavender Boy, by drag photographer Greg Bailey, opened at Helm Gallery on Thursday and will run until 1 September.

The event showcases Mr Bailey's first gallery collection of drag portraits and offers a retrospective journey through his career while celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

Mr Bailey said: "I just think having queer visibility, queer art in the mainstream and in people’s faces to enjoy will surely just be a good message to everyone that we’re just the same as everyone else, just a little bit more fabulous.”

Mr Bailey has worked with Ru Paul's Drag Race stars Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova

Helm Gallery says the photographs from Mr Bailey, who is originally from Faversham in Kent, document the "evolution of drag and its significant cultural impact".

The exhibition also explores the symbolic role of lavender in LGBTQ+ history, as well as its personal significance to Mr Bailey.

The photographer, who has worked with Ru Paul's Drag Race stars Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova, said he reached out to Helm Gallery as it was "soul destroying" to have work solely on Instagram without anything "tangible".

The gallery added: "By highlighting underrepresented voices and expanding his focus to include kings, non-binary performers, and people of colour, Bailey's work promotes inclusivity and diversity."