"The lighting is so much better in galleries. You're able to see all the details of the looks. It becomes a conversation piece."
From the glamorous drag queens to the barely-clothed gogo boys, everyone’s in some form of a costume on the club scene. In some cases it’s an art form, so why not take it to the galleries and put what you have to offer on show. That’s exactly what Shania LaClaire Riviere did!
What is it about dressing up that appeals to you and what led to you first doing it?
Shania was ‘born’ out of creative preparations for my first Gay Pride Parade in New York City. I believe it was in 2000 with a group of friends who dressed in drag every year. Then I worked in the coat check at the nightclub Centro-Fly and started to dress up more. There’s always been an appeal to tap into my feminine side and I was able to express it through these earlier outlets. I’m really into feminine fashion – the fabrics, the make-up, the jewellery – all the wonderful stuff that women get to wear. There always appears to be so much more creatively going on with the female side of fashion.
How do you feel when you look back at Shania’s first ensembles?
Strangely I have the same feelings as you might when you look at old photographs of yourself as a kid. ‘What was I wearing?!’ or ‘What was I thinking with that hair?’ It was all part of the growing process. Experimenting to find my voice. It was youth! That’s what I feel when I look at old ‘Shania’ photos.
You have been sober for eight years. Do you feel that needing to go out on the scene and show off your latest creation led to substance/alcohol abuse?
Absolutely not. I had already been experimenting with my friends once I moved to New York City. I think one of my first nights in town we all went to The Roxy. At that time it was almost seen as part of the right of passage in gay culture, especially for those that were part of the club kid scene. Even though I arrived a bit late to that party, the remnants were still there and the club scene was very much a driving force in the gay community. But being sober has been one of the most amazing accomplishments in my life. It’s given me an opportunity to be present and available to myself and others. It’s allowed me to observe and change and grow on the inside to become my authentic self.
Leigh Bowery, Alexander McQueen and Iris Apfel are the three that come to mind. I love the over-the-top and outside-the-box creativity that Leigh Bowery brought to the club world. Alexander McQueen continued that kind of paradigm in his designs – carefully detailed couture of strangeness. I love to bring those elements to Shania’s looks – the obvious fused with the unexpected. It’s one of the reasons we describe my work as ‘Drag Fusion.’ And Iris Apfel continues to remind me that you should always express your own sense of style no matter how old you get. I’m completely mad about the bold, and what some might say are audacious accessories that she wears even in her 90s.
I am continually inspired by Mathu Andersen, Ryan Burke and Pandemonia. I love their honed aesthetic and that they incorporate other arenas of the art world into their self-expression.Do you feel that Shane/Shania are both very different people?
They are like opposite sex fraternal twins. They’re different genders with some different ways of expressing themselves, but they’re from the same DNA and that connects them very strongly. One influences the other.
Definitely! I’m constantly shopping for Shania. There’s the wardrobe and make-up and jewellery. Add to that the supplies to build costume pieces, lashes, etc. Shania could always use more closet space. As for myself, I keep sewing up the holes in my favorite jeans and I’ve had the same wardrobe for the past five years. I always want Shania to be front and center, to look her best and thus the budget always favors her!
Tell us about #ArtOnShania. How did it start? What does it involve?
#ARTONSHANIA started as a concept about five/six years ago. I had been going out a lot here in Provincetown, primarily to parties and clubs with over the top looks. It would take me about two to three hours to put everything together, especially the handmade, extremely long eyelashes I was creating and gluing to my face. Not a lot of folks could see or appreciate the detail. The artist and painter Liz Carney asked me to sit for her and her students at one point. The show of their work was at PAAM (Provincetown Art Association and Museum) and I went as Shania. An elderly woman asked if I was part of the installation and it all clicked. I knew I wanted to bring these creations to the galleries and not just the clubs and basements in the middle of the night.
Last year it all came to fruition with the official debut of #ARTONSHANIA. I created eight different looks and participated in the Provincetown Art Stroll that happens every other Friday evening throughout the season. I walked the main street here in town as the sun was setting and people would stop me on the street for photographs and ask where I was performing or what this was all about. I had a regular couple of galleries that I stopped into. One served as a backdrop so I could photograph my creations against their art. Artist Kenneth Lockwood took photos of me in front of his paintings. Art on art you could say. It was really amazing!
Yes! The response has been overwhelmingly positive for the most part. In fact, some fine artists have photographed the #ARTONSHANIA looks for inspiration for their own work as well.
Firstly, the lighting is so much better in galleries, you’re able to see all the details of the looks. It becomes a conversation piece for everyone. Secondly, you’re able to reach a different group of people that would not necessarily go to clubs – especially an older and straighter demographic. In galleries, there is always more dialogue about what I’ve created and it takes on a more serious investigation about the looks and my art. This in turn has resulted in more exposure for the other art mediums I work in i.e. photography, digital art, paintings, etc.
Lastly we would normally ask what is your favorite Mariah Carey song. But we feel in this instance we have to ask what is your favorite Shania Twain song?
I have to say, ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ I hope it’s obvious why! 🙂
Find out more about Shania at www.shanialeclaireriviere.com/ or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
