Exhibition Vogue Ball
2023
Ballroom, Cinematics, and Cultural Legacy In collaboration with Hauser & Wirth and the House of AWT Project, I helped bring LA’s first Exhibition Vogue Ball to life—onstage and onscreen. As Creative Consultant and Cinematographer, I shaped the event’s visual identity and co-produced and shot a live film of the ball—capturing Ballroom as a living archive of movement, resistance, and joy. This project fused fashion, film, and facilitation to uplift Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ brilliance and archive a legacy still in motion.
It’s All About Thee AAWWWTTTT!!!
Exhibition Vogue Ball | House of AWT Project x Hauser & Wirth LA
Artists Working Together. That’s the heartbeat of the House of AWT Project—and on February 15, 2023, it pulsed through Hauser & Wirth’s Downtown Los Angeles space in an unforgettable showcase of performance, fashion, and cultural lineage.
Curated by the Iconic Sean/Milan™ Garcon, It’s All About Thee AAWWWTTTT!!! marked the first-ever five-category Exhibition Vogue Ball hosted by the House of AWT Project. Over 30 artists from the House/Ballroom community took to the runway in a dazzling, high-energy celebration of movement, style, and resistance—claiming space and rewriting history in real time.
A Cultural Collaboration, A Cinematic Moment
As Creative Consultant and Cinematographer, I worked closely with The Performance Project team and Sean/Milan™ to bring this collaboration to life—not only as an event, but as a living cultural artifact. From designing the layout and pre-production logistics to leading the media team that shot the event itself, my role centered on making sure the energy of the ballroom translated both live and onscreen.
This was about bringing the ball world into the gallery art space and giving it proper credit. We shot the ball live—no camera tucked away in the back, no distance. You see the movement down the runway the way it felt in the room: film fused with live performing arts. The commodification of this culture was always inevitable, so we set out to tell our own story and be the people who tell you what is art. Art, as we like to call it—A-W-T.
In partnership with Hauser & Wirth, the film captures not just the performances, but the creative labor and community care that shaped them—affirming Ballroom as a vital, avant-garde performance form.
“My methodology is rooted in collaboration and visibility. This project allowed me to bring theory into action—merging cultural critique, visual storytelling, and grassroots facilitation into one living, breathing experience.”
The Performance Project at Hauser & Wirth
Housed in Hauser & Wirth’s Arts District campus, The Performance Project uplifts global performing arts visionaries—centering BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices across music, dance, film, and literature. It reflects the gallery’s commitment to deep, ongoing relationships with the communities that make Los Angeles a world cultural capital.
“We saw The House of AWT Project’s vision come to life firsthand... and through this partnership we are proud to support their mission and legacy.” — Stacen Berg, Partner & Executive Director, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
2023 Charitable partner of the year
Legacy in Motion
This groundbreaking event was more than a moment—it was the beginning of an ongoing partnership. In 2023, the House of AWT Project was named Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles’ Charitable Partner of the Year, receiving an initial $10,000 grant to support its long-standing goal of becoming a nonprofit.
“To say how excited I am about this partnership would be an understatement compared to the partnership’s results. This ain’t my first time at the rodeo, and I know how all this goes... up, up, up!!!” — Sean/Milan™, Founder, House of AWT Project
With nonprofit status on the horizon, The House of AWT will be empowered to:
- Digitize the 14-year Ovahness Ball archive (2006–2019), the longest-running House/Ball event on the West Coast
- Launch new events and original performances
- Provide professional development and creative opportunities for Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ youth
Photo: Rachel Hinman, Model & Creation: Legendary Mother Fe Garcon
Hauser & Wirth was founded in 1992 in Zurich by Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth. The gallery represents over 80 artists and artists' estates, including Frank Bowling, Mark Bradford, Stefan Brüggemann, George Condo, Roni Horn, Rashid Johnson, Paul McCarthy, Christina Quarles, Pipilotti Rist, Lorna Simpson, Uman, and Avery Singer, and is responsible for artist estates and foundations including the Estate of Philip Guston, Louise Bourgeois, and the Jack Whitten Estate.
Locations and exhibitions
Hauser & Wirth has spaces in Europe (Zurich, London, Somerset, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Basel, Paris, Menorca, and Monaco), Asia (Hong Kong), and North America (Manhattan, Southampton, New York and Los Angeles).