The Drag Explosion

A riotous, revealing collection of photographs from the midst of the drag scene in late '80s and early '90s New York.

New York's momentous drag scene of the 1980s and '90s reigns again in this volume of photos by Linda Simpson, who spent the era in the middle of the action taking just-for-fun snapshots. The vivid images capture wild nightlife, queer activism, pop-culture moments, and colourful characters galore as they joyfully pushed the boundaries of gender expression, including Lady Bunny, RuPaul, Lypsinka and Leigh Bowery.

Ultimately, her collection is a tribute to a golden age, when drag transformed from an underground art form into a mainstream sensation, and paved the path for today's drag renaissance.

"No longer were drag queens content to be confined to the fringes. Now they boldly roamed the land, their size 12 platform shoes landing each step with a powerful thud."