Pennsylvania native Ryan McKelvey may be far away from home, but he’s quite centered when it comes to his sense of self showcased in his own personal brand of artistry. If you don’t know him personally you may have heard of his alter ego the enigmatic Madame Sarcasma. So, here’s our Interview Ryan McKelvey.
For folks not familiar with your work how would you describe your various artistic endeavors?
I consider myself a performer, poet, & purveyor. My background is in creative writing and theatrical performance. However, my practice exists more in a live art context. I am exploring and experimenting with digital media, performance art, and drag while dealing with concerns & questions that arise from various concepts, such as identity, sexuality, audience reception, celebrity, and persona.
Tell me about your craft and creative process from concept to execution.
I usually have an academic or research interest OR an emotional memory or response from which I begin working. Naturally, I’m sort of always thinking, thinking, thinking and not doing, doing, doing. This can be a particularly bad habit, especially as a performer. So, in recent years, I’ve tried to incorporate rehearsal practices and techniques that I’ve learned as a stage actor into my current work. Every project has its own requirements and structure, though. Last summer, I was working on my autobiographical solo Beyond Dirt Knees, and there was no question that I needed to put in the physical work. On the other hand, my drag work is more fluid; it’s not impromptu or improvised, but it is addressed in the moment. This is partly because I find it so difficult to rehearse out of persona, i.e. out of makeup/costume.
I know you are intimately involved with Home Soil. Can you explain what Home Soil embodies and aims to accomplish?
Since 2010, Home Soil has evolved from a theatre-based company to a performance collective to a site from which my collaborator, Zoya Sardashti, and I can discuss, engage with, interrogate, and research our collaborative and individual practices. We are artists who use performance as our main medium or platform of exploration.
What or who inspires you as an artist?
Wow, this is such a big question. I could give you many names, several objects, and a jam-packed memory full of concepts. But, it’s all just really life, no? Life inspires me. Standing on the crowded Seoul metro in summer aggravates and inspires me. Vacationing in far-off lands excites and inspires me. Drinking and partying my Seoul morning away clouds and yet inspires me. Having anonymous sex disgusts, titillates, and inspires me. There are poets and dancers, philosophers and pop stars, teachers and drag queens that inspire me beyond belief. However, for me, what it really comes down to is being open and receptive to any and all inspirations and sensations. I’m inspired by performance: watching it, thinking about it, experiencing it, getting all up in it. Let’s not get it twisted, though; I’m a receiver, but I still have standards. <wink>
Has living in South Korea affected your creative process? What are the highs and lows of working in a foreign land as an artist?
Living abroad has increased my acceptance and awareness of sociocultural differences. I’ve always been particularly sensitive of other people’s identity, gender expression, sexuality, nationality, race, and so on. I’m sure this relates directly to my own struggles with being an “other.” Having lived in the ROK—a homogenous and nationalistic society that can be surprisingly adaptable—for six years has taught me to be more proud of who I am and where I come from. Furthermore, I’ve grown to admire the kinship and deep sense of social obligation embed within Korean culture. As with any vocation, working as an artist comes with its rewards and stresses. Seoul has been very good to me in regards to access and opportunities. Let’s be real, though, I’ve had to live my life back inside of a closet…the closet! And yet, that has challenge me to think about how I truly relate to exposure, identity, and truth, which is becoming a big part of my work.
One of your most notable characters is Madame Sarcasma. How did you conceive of her?
Her conception was only a matter of time and place. I’ve always enjoyed putting on “the mask”. I have a clown person, Fruity, who predates Sarcasma. So, I’ve been wearing makeup and costumes for a long time. I’d like to think most people have. In college, I had a couple close friends who were queens. I was very interested in drag, but I was just a critic, a fan, and a voyeur. Flash-forward to Seoul, one Halloween night out with friends turned into getting a name and an attitude. Later, I was given the opportunity to perform at two cabaret events that were not drag shows. And, It was at that point that I realized the potential in fully realizing this character. Then, a bunch of drag gigs and parties started happening. And, here I am.
Drag already explores gender roles what motivated you push the boundaries farther with Sarcasma? How has the reception been from your contemporaries?
I’ve always been turned on by anything genderfuck or queer. I knew early on that Mme. Sarcasma needed to take off the wigs. I love my shaved head; I love women and men with shorn or short hair. It’s attractive and a turn-on. My personal style and tastes can lean towards the dark and punctuated. I have tattoos, piercing, and a shaved head with Coach heels and a designer clutch. I respond well to work that goes against the grain or juxtaposes contrasting images or roles. It’s not about being tough + feminine; it’s more about experimenting with the power transmitted and received by those symbols of gender.
How do you think theories such as the male gaze, sexual fetishism, and gender performativity are reflected in your work?
With Madame Sarcasma, I hope to subvert the notions of what is or is not female or male. I use a gestus of a sexually confident, powerful, successful woman to engage the audience and myself in a conversation about mass perceptions of gender. How have the binary constructs of our heteronormative society dictated how I act and dress? Society is obsessed with beauty, celebrity culture, and sex-as-power. So, I put it on, mix it up, and throw it around a bit.
If an audience is “the public” or “other people”, and if a performance is “an enactment”, then I need the audience to complete the performance. It doesn’t help me to further understand the persona, the experiment, or myself if I’m doing this all in private. Recently, I’ve been finding my exposure in social situations interesting. Performing on stage is something I love and relate well to, but I’m also discovering that I like “just being” in drag at public gatherings. I’m curious about Madame Sarcasma, the socialite, and how celebrity culture informs or plays into what drag is or is becoming.
Describe your routine getting ready?
I sit down nearly naked and freshly shorn in front of a mirror. For the next hour or so, I add layer upon layer of creams and powders. I sculpt my face into a more hyper-feminine mask. I tape, tuck, pad, and wrap my body into other shapes and sizes—adding clothing and heels to complete my transformation into ‘Madame Sarcasma’. Each time I put her on, I get closer to my vision. And honestly, it’s probably more like five hours of work. I’m becoming more efficient with my makeup application, but I’m always learning new tips & tricks of the trade.
What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done on stage?
I haven’t even reached the limits of what I’d like to do in front of an audience. I’ve been chained up; I’ve simulated masturbation and sex; I’ve spewed blood; and, I’ll be experimenting with public mastication this Friday. So, you see, not nearly close enough to the edge.
What is it like when you’re performing?
As Mme. Sarcasma, I can disappear in her body and world. My intention is maintain the persona throughout the evening or event. Whether or not I’m “on stage,” I feel like it’s still a performance. The act of putting her on becomes a performance for me. Everything is performance. When I’m on stage as Sarcasma, sensations are certainly heightened; it’s electric, alive. During moments of solo work out of drag, the experience is more exposed and I’m more vulnerable.
How can people discover your past work and what projects are you working on currently?
You could follow me on Facebook or Twitter or any number of social media sites. Both Madame and I have individual accounts. As well, my work with Home Soil can be accessed via homesoil.org. This summer has been a whirlwind of responsibilities and tasks as I am moving on from Seoul in September. Sarcasma & I are going to grad school! I’ll be working towards an MA in Performance & Visual Practices at the University of Brighton (UK). Since I’ve been focused on this transition, I’ve been reading and researching in preparation for the program. My persona work as Madame Sarcasma is the focus of my proposal for this MA. So, I’m developing a yearlong project that explores celebrity culture, nightlife, gender identity and expression. Ideally, the end result will incorporate photography, video, and performance into an installation-based presentation.
