Photographic documentation of the installation Otherside. Photos courtesy of Tania Heath and The Independent.
Self Portrait as Otherside I, 2023
Self Portrait as Otherside II, 2023
Self-portrait as Otherside I (left) & Self-portait as Otherside II (right)
Otherside is Nicholas Aiden’s empowered reimagining of the folkloric “fairy ring.” Transforming a public space into a queer interior, the artist presents visitors with an intimate, inviting place where a fairy dance has just ended. The space becomes a metaphor for joyful rebellion and a safe space for queer expression. Aiden reclaims the term “fairy” as a derogatory term for queerness, and asks us to reconsider the story of fairies or the “hidden folk” as a parable for othering, and fairy shapeshifting characteristics as an analogy for self-determining bodies comfortable with changing identities.
- The Rooms Provinical Art Gallery
