by Xiamara Chupaflor, a.r. havel, and Koko Barrios
a digital guidebook to the exhibition of photographic altars
You have arrived at a crossroads of desire.
….a sexual borderland sensually shaped by those of us tending to altars of intentions: open roads, romance, abundance....Let our whispering words conjure and guide.
OH HOLY FILTH is a collaborative mixed media project combining film photography, set design, costume design, and spirituality exploring the intersections of sex work and magic. This series of altars for sex workers by sex workers offers an alternative expression to the typical narratives afforded to sex workers, even in New Orleans where the historical view of spaces like Storyville emphasized femme victimization and male pleasure. Still, votive spirituality and sex work are in effortless conversation within the history of Bulbancha/New Orleans as a place where Indigenous, Spanish and French colonial cultures, and African diasporas were forced to contend with one another. We present these works as a balm, a continued prayer, a way of giving gratitude to each other. We invite you to join in ritual celebration of culture bearers surviving and thriving at the margins.
Oh Holy Filth was made possible by generous contributions by Alternate ROOTS, The Foundation for Contemporary Art, and the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans.
our generous thanks to: Kat Sotelo, Pasha Jovanovich, Chris Bradford, Robert Moldaner, Jeff Becker, Monique Verdin, Hannah Pepper-Cunningham, Steve Bailey, Meryl Merman, Andie Flores, David Williams, Anne Marie Auricchio, Allen Owen, Pauly Lingerfelt, Ylva Radziszewski, Misha Hell, Greya Nadine Nightshade, Amadia Shadowrabbit, Kaelen Quintero, Amanda Sanfilippo, MaeDea Moon Farrell, Andrew Nishida, and all the dancers and sex workers who contributed to this project
Xiamara Chupaflor’s “Abre Camino”
Spring 2021:
a Tex-Mexican and a Czechxican are have tea and talk about a possible photo shoot. On the coffee-table, Chupaflor has placed a red ace glossy porn playing card next to a tarot deck and a burnt-down 7-day candle for “Abre Camino.” She describes her vision for a photograph, posing as that titular wh0re-deity “Abre Camino,” a kitsch homage to spirit that keeps her and her community on a path towards abundance. Soon after, a.r. havel began work on a simple set that combines magical Vegas peep-show with Coney Island fortune teller and 80s porno. At the shoot, Koko Barrios provided the hair, make-up, and direction that transformed the fantasy into a seductive reality; immediately, Xiamara drew a spread from her deck and begins to envision a whole series.
Anna Karina’s “Chile Verde”
