Tag Archives: Bridge Markland

The 60th Birthday show of legendary Berlin Drag King Bridge Markland!

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Bridge Markland as Sascha for 60th Birthday special Feb 20 2021 by Suzanne ForbesOf course, Bridge Markland is far more than a Drag King.

Bridge, who I have drawn many times, is a performer in the classic tradition, a clown and puppeteer and artist’s model and archivist of Queer Berlin culture. She is an actor who can bring the ghosts of Weimar to life when inhabited by the spirit of Anita Berber, and a dancer who can grind it industrial. Sascha, above, is one of her classic characters!

And Bridge is a welcoming signpost to the young gender performers of Berlin.

Bleach for Bridge Markland 60th Birthday special Feb 20 2021 by Suzanne ForbesShe has a wonderful relationship with the Venus Boys and several joined her onstage.

Bleach, above, did a delicate transform into an ivory slip dress and loose blonde curls. I tried to capture the way their feminine beauty was visible even before the masculine drag was removed.

I am always excited to draw the amazing Venus Boys, “a collective of Berlin based Drag performers who paint from the palette of performative masculinity”.

Here’s a post about Bridge and Buba Sababa performing together last year.

Bridge Markland 60th Birthday special Feb 20 2021 by Suzanne ForbesBridge Markland, throwing away gender norms since 1995!

You love to see it. Bridge has a legendary tongue, this drawing does not exaggerate it!

It was a joy to document this show.

 

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support lets me keep documenting Berlin’s drag and burlesque performers while I work safely at home.

Two generations of Berlin gender-interrogation performers share the stage and double the power!

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Bridge Markland with cigar Nov 17 by Suzanne ForbesI was so excited when I saw Bridge Markland would be performing with Buba Sababa!

Bridge, who’ve I have drawn many times, is an incredible icon of Queer Berlin, a Drag Queen/King and genderfuckery artist who has created decades of transgressive works. During the early quarantine days Bridge shared archived show ephemera like press, flyers and posters on Instagram. You can really see what a pioneering role she played in international gender performance theater.

Plus, she has created some of the strangest and most unnerving puppet shows you will ever see! And danced and written and taught and modeled for artists and so much more. Bridge celebrates 35 years on stage this year!

This show, queens + kings special with Bridge Markland + Buba Sababa, included multiple acts and reveals and so many sheddings of skin!

And Bridge shares the stage with generosity and grace, welcoming Berlin’s new generation of gender-play performers.

Buba Sababa Nov 17 by Suzanne ForbesSeeing Venus Boy Buba Sababa onstage with Bridge Markland was fantastic.

Buba Sababa is a radical talent, a fearless performer who really gets into it with the audience. In the drawing above you see Buba eating sweets and dancing to “Sugar Sugar” in macho persona, which was layered and intense. There was also a video collage piece spotlighting toxic masculinity which was hard to watch and yet heart-wrenching, and Buba dancing in femme mode in veils, and much more. Buba is part of the amazing Venus Boys, “a collective of Berlin based Drag performers who paint from the palette of performative masculinity”. I have drawn Buba before as well, and hope to draw Buba many times in the future.

In the chat people were saying things like “I feel like I should have paid 125 euros ticket for this and I don’t have any money” and “DED FOREVER DED”. It was a Tuesday night twitch show but it felt like we were in some prestigious theater watching an experimental show funded by Udo Kier. Seeing these two generations of Berlin gender-performance work and dance together was stunning.

queens + kings special with Bridge Markland + Buba Sababa was part of Camillo Queer Cinema Week, which is online this year. You can see the programm here. There are more events to come!

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me work safely at home, documenting Berlin performers.