Religion

2017 · Short Film

I created Religion as a confrontation with the violence, fear, and control that can be justified in the name of faith. The film looks at the ways religion has been used to regulate bodies, enforce patriarchy, silence dissent, and marginalize queer and trans people. Through performance, movement, and religious imagery, I reclaim symbols historically used to condemn people like me and turn them into tools of resistance. The body becomes both sacred and political, challenging the idea that divinity belongs only to institutions, doctrine, or those the church deems worthy. At its core, Religion asks what happens when the people cast out by religious authority reclaim the sacred for themselves.

About the Work

Religion grew out of my larger performance practice and my ongoing relationship with Christian symbolism, spiritual rebellion, and the body. It reflects an early stage of what would later become a much larger artistic and theological language in my work.

Credits

Performance: Qween Amor
Video & Photography: Catherine Asanov