Gallery Night at WCW: Behind the Queen with Edessa School of Fashion

Behind the Queen is a 35mm black-and-white photographic exhibition by Leonardt Horák, presented by Edessa School of Fashion.
About this Event

Behind the Queen is a 35mm black-and-white photographic exhibition by Leonardt Horák, presented by Edessa School of Fashion, exploring drag, transformation, fashion, and self-presentation across Wisconsin.

Originally developed as Edessa School of Fashion’s 2024 calendar project, the work follows drag performers from rural environments into more urban and constructed images, tracing a movement from private presentation toward styling, performance, and character. Through portraiture, garments, and textured environments. Behind the Queen considers drag as a form of self-authorship and artistic labor.

Now presented at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, the project is revisited with greater distance and clarity. The exhibition reflects on the people, garments, performances, and memories that shaped the work, while positioning it as an important early foundation in Horák’s ongoing practice around fashion, identity, portraiture, and constructed image-making