Press for Legends of Drag
Vogue: “epic”
The Advocate: “magic happened.”
Out: “fabulous portraits and pearls of wisdom”
Harper's Bazaar: “High-drama photos alongside captivating interviews. [...] As a lush touch, Antheus, a spirit worker, writer, and floral designer, creates a gorgeous custom floral arrangement for each portrait, selecting blooms based on their seasonality and uniqueness.”
The New York Times: “Each performer was photographed with flowers chosen by Mr. Antheus. Some are shown with varieties personally significant to them, while others’ flowers were chosen based on the outfits they wore, or the location of their photo shoot. The concept was not just a visual element for the images. “We wanted to give the girls their flowers,” Mr. Antheus said, using the expression that means appreciating loved ones while they are still alive. That sentiment proved prophetic.”
The Cut: “Legends of Drag addresses the lack of intergenerational connection within the community: a broken lineage that’s often rooted in loss. But Hanson and Antheus don’t want to linger on darkness. It’s that capacity for joy that they want to capture. Still, when they lost their goddesses, Hanson and Antheus were struck by the importance of their project. They knew they had to hustle, they tell me, to give their girls their flowers while they’re still here.”
Bust: “Direct and intimate, [...] it feels like you’re just sitting with them at a Hollywood vanity mirror as they get ready for a show: they’re skillfully beating their face to the gods and rehashing their past, and you—like a drag daughter fervently listening to their drag mother—are hanging on every word, extracting inescapable wisdom that you are privileged to walk away with. Direct quotes from the queens were balanced with historical context. The result was a supremely long but rich archive that is definitely meant for the coffee table. The book is challenging to read in one sitting, and is most useful as a text to keep returning to when wanting to add to your body of queer knowledge. Through its attention to archiving drag history and capturing the precious and fleeting moments with our queer elders, Legends of Drag will go down in history itself. It is essential reading, and in this day and age, when LGBTQ+ literature, chronicles, and history are being banned, this book is more important than ever.”
Gayletter: “The book features portraits of each girl with a gorgeous bespoke floral bouquet by Antheus, followed by the lore, perspective, and fond memories that the pair managed to glean from within her. Nearly every account has raucous tales of resistance to oppression or outright violence, shenanigans from sex work, and mentions of drag family and regional dynasties, effectively rendering Legends of Drag a map of the Wild West of drag, of a time before there was anything more than utter faggotry to motivate you to put on your heels. [...] In bringing these queens' stories into the modern literary discourse, Hanson and Antheus have solidified into the zeitgeist the passion in drag and the gay deity of queens.”
Rolling Stone Italia: “L’atmosfera magica e fuori dal tempo è stata realizzata da Antheus, operatore spirituale, scrittore e designer floreale.”