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Karl Marx in thongs and post-binary drag. "House of Post-Binary" appeared in Berlin
The House of Post-Binary , a collective of drag and theater artists, has appeared in Berlin. This is not a separate platform, but a creative community, whose participants prepare performances together and support each other. Among the creators of the project is the non-binary drag artist Lolly Pony, originally from Tyumen. The team is based in Berlin, but also performs in other cities in Germany.
“What started out as a project for aspiring drag artists and people with theater experience has now grown into a happy family. We present to you House of Post-Binary,” write the team members.
The creators of the collective want to challenge established social structures through drag, explore the fluidity of gender and create space for experiences that do not fit into the binary system. According to them, drag can speak about performative masculinity, and about lesbian desire, and about fantastic creatures - and in the context of the spread of dangerous narratives, it also becomes a political tool.
The first independent show House of Post-Binary took place on June 12 at the Berlin club Crack Bellmer. It was dedicated to post-structuralism: the artists combined lip-syncing, theatrical performances and references to philosophical theories. The group later participated in the 48 Stunden Neukölln festival, where they helped transform the traditionally masculine space of an outdoor sports ground into a queer stage with training, dancing, games and drag performances.
“From performative masculinity and lesbian desire to magical creatures, drag is multifaceted and complex. In an era of dangerous narratives, it becomes an important tool.”
One of Lolly Pony's numbers is built around Karl Marx. The actress appears with a false beard and “Capital”, but complements the look with a red thong, platform shoes and transparent gloves with rhinestones. The performance takes place to the song Father Figure by Taylor Swift.
Lolly Pony as Karl Marx
Lolly Pony was born in Tyumen, later lived in Moscow, and in 2022 she moved to Germany, having received a scholarship to study. The artist calls the emigration forced: she did not feel free in Russia and did not imagine that she could do drag herself, although she attended performances in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Lolly Pony considers her stage work a political statement and wants to develop Russian-language drag in Germany.