Miss Universe: World's Largest Tattooed Lady

Miss Universe is the Sideshow’s popular and adored Fat Tattooed Lady. Her body is covered by royal blue intricate tattoos that contrast her pale smooth skin so that she is reminiscent of a large human Ming vase. Off stage she goes by the name Mei-Xie, which in Chinese means beautiful and elegant. Mei-Xie is the only child to Ting-Ting and Ma Sun. Despite being an only child she is very generous, caring and infectiously likeable.

“Growing up as a child I desperately wanted a brother or sister, so I made lots of friends instead. When I didn't have a friend to play with I loved to write and read poetry - though my biggest passion is to dance. Believe it or not, I’m an accomplished ballet dancer and I’m truly very good at it. It helps me to relax so I dance as much as I can. Though more importantly it keeps me in shape!” she laughs.

“Why is my stage name  Miss Universe? Well D’uh! Cos I’ve got a big round belly of course!” (Laughing again) “Actually, not true. I’m called  Miss Universe because of my tattoos. Back when I first started getting ink done, I used to get a lot of star constellations, because I love astronomy. You can’t really see them so much anymore because they are hidden amongst all the other tattoos - but I know they are there".

“The world is such a beautiful place, despite the bad things that happen, there is so much to be inspired by. I had a tradition I started years ago where I would get a tattoo whenever someone or something inspired me - as a reminder or keepsake. Needless to say I’m inspired a lot!”.

When asked if there was any part of her body that was not covered by a tattoo, she giggles “Cheeky! That’s a secret!”

SOLD!

Venus: The Bearded Beauty

Daughter of two high school teachers and the eldest of six siblings, Venus, the Sideshow's Bearded Beauty was originally christened Eden Grace Harper as named after Mount Eden in New Zealand where she was born.

As a young child and well into her teens, she was always academically gifted with an aptitude for Chemistry. To equal her natural brilliance was her beauty, which instead of a blessing Eden felt was a curse. Her beauty was so flawless, even from an early age that people were intimidated by her or perhaps too shy to speak to her.

"I was always very lonely as a child and again as a teen. It was horrible. People would just stare at me their mouth opening and shutting like a fish out of water. They would always stare but never speak or utter a word to me"

When Eden turned sixteen, fed up with the curse of loneliness her beauty caused her, she dosed her face in a chemical she had designed to treat dogs with alopecia hoping to cover her appearance and creating the beard that now grows on her face today.

"It's a strange thing, people were still staring at me but in a different way. They now stare at me with child like curiosity, which is great because with curiosity comes questions followed by conversation and then friendship. Having a beard was the best thing I could have done for myself"

Being so academically gifted, you'd expect that Eden would have discovered a cure for her famous whiskers long ago, and it may surprise you to learn that she has.

"I knew how to get rid of my beard the moment I grew it, but I don't want to. It's a part of me and that's the way that I like it"

The Amazing Crab Girl

The first thing you’ll notice about Ingrid Havstrøm, better known as Crab Girl, is she lives up to her stage name. She’s surly, aloof and … well crabby. But she also has a lot of warmth and humour for people close to her, her “Sideshow family”.

Ingrid joined the Sideshow, possibly around age nine, as a young runaway. She had run away from an orphanage on the southern coast of Norway just outside Kristiansand. Her unusual physical appearance and her insistence and determination on staying meant that she was swiftly and legally adopted by the Sideshow.

The orphanage where Ingrid came from is situated on shoreline overlooking a beach where she was first found.  “There she was, this tiny child, all of about three. She was completely naked and abandoned on the beach and looking very distressed” says Governess Aakvik. “I remember how my staff and I were initially quite alarmed by her unusual appearance.What kind of child has a crab claw as a hand?”

“She was a very shy little thing, though once she trusted you she was terribly affectionate. She’d curl up on your lap like a wee kitten, she was very cute – but like a stray kitten she was very timid and her moods would swing quite abruptly. She always had an unpredictable temper and she never really got along with the other children, which is why we suspect she ran away to be with the Sideshow.”

“We have no idea where she came from and who her birth family is, to my knowledge she has never confided that information, or maybe she does not remember. The other children would tease her and say that her father was a drunk sailor who had it off with a crab because he was so drunk that he could not tell the difference between a crab and a mermaid.”

“We called her Ingrid Havstrøm, because Havstrøm means ‘ocean current’ which we felt was very fitting to her nature”.

SOLD!

Another arrogant artist interview

(to read a larger image, click here)

"Goils of the Sideshow" will accompany BeinArt's "The Sideshow" exhibition @ For Walls Gallery on level 1, 34 Franklin Street (on top Miss Libertine) Melbourne CBD. Opening night; 6pm Aug 3rd and then running until Aug 26th.

Participating artists include the exceptional talents of Curran James, Kaitlin Beckett, Trish Leone, Nina Maskiell, Samara Owens, Basak Savcigil, Michael Anderson, Levene Wong and more.

Free entry.

 

(For a cheeky wee peek of "Goils of the Sideshow" Click here)

 

Poster Concept: Adelaide Fringe 2012 (mark two!)

"Tour of the Unexpected" is the theme for the 2012 Adelaide Fringe poster competition. I have decided to edit, re-design and re-submit my original 2010 Adelaide Fringe poster entry. Why?  I believe my original poster concept marries well to the appointed 2012 Adelaide Fringe theme, allow me to tell you why... 

Firstly my rational is; I imagine a "Tour of the Unexpected" would expose the human senses to experience things that are new, exciting and different - hence "Tour of the Unexpected" = "Adventure and Fun for the Senses". Whoa! That's like was my original poster concept!.... Yippee!! It totally works! (Totes! Fur shiz! Defo!) 

Next allow me to introduce the "Sense"* characters from my 2010 poster (*"Sense" being short for "Human Senses" and "Nonsense"): There is "Snob" the Nose, "Pitch" the Ear (Pitch thinks he's a pirate), "Kneed" the Hand, "Blink" the Eye and "Blah Blah" the Mouth. 

For them, when Fringe is in town they get excited, because Fringe is an opportunity for them to experience and be exposed to what they normally wouldn't in their everyday life. Fringe is an adventure for them to go out and to do, to be and to feel the unexpected, thus once again coming back to my (winning) point of "Tour of the Unexpected" = "Adventure and Fun for the Senses"

Annnnnnnnnnnd so that's why I've re-edited and re-submitted these quirky wee Sense personalities to the Adelaide Fringe, and I wish them the best of luck.

Psst! Also, at the risk of sounding foolishly superstitious, the Adelaide Fringe's 2012 logo uses the same colours of my original 2010 poster. For me, that was a sign that these wee Senses needed to be re-introduced to the Fringe. (It's a sign I tells ya! A SIGN!! Totes. Fur shiz. Defo) 

If you are interested in submitting a poster design for the 2012 Adelaide Fringe, click here

Sexing up the Surrealist Circus Freaks

(WARNING: Blatant self promotion.... but someone's gotta do it!)

Australian Visual Artist and Humorist, Lucy Fekete (that's moi), will be proudly featured in the BeinArt Surrealist Art Collective group exhibition The Sideshow, opening at For Walls Gallery in Melbourne CBD on 3 August.

The Sideshow will incorporate BeInArt Surrealist Art Collective’s top ten selected entries from the 2010 Sideshow competition alongside Fekete’s winning entry, “Silly Fat Cow and Two-faced B***h”. Together with this diverse collection of surrealist artworks, Fekete will also be exhibiting her sexy and hilarious series Goils of the Sideshow.

(check out my quote...)“My style is distinctive and attractive and my work is very accessible. Even people who wouldn’t normally like or care much for visual art enjoy looking at my paintings.” Fekete says, “I put a fair bit of humour and pop reference into my art which I think appeals to a wide audience. The Goils of the Sideshow will be no exception, as each painting has a specific back-story for each pin-up girl character that intends to entertain and hopefully amuse my audience. These ‘Goils’, while physically different, they are each uniquely beautiful and sexy to look at and I’m very proud of them.” (Pretty good quote huh? Tickets anyone?)

Opening night for Goils of the Sideshow and The Sideshow will be held from 6pm, 3 August and commence until 27 August on top of Miss Libertine at For Walls Gallery; level 1, 34 Franklin Street, Melbourne CBD. Gallery hours 9am – 5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat/Sun. Free entry.

(click images to see larger)

Magnormos presents the Melbourne premiere of: The Hatpin

(click on image to see larger)

A large feather should be sitting proudly in the cap of Magnormos, who's production of "The Hatpin" opened Monday night in Melbourne. 

"The Hatpin" is a relatively new and exciting Musical written and developed in 2006-2007 by James Millar and Peter Rutherford. The exciting part - and this is the part that personally sold me into wanting to see the show in the first place - is this Musical was inspired upon actual people and historical events that took place in Sydney Australia around 1890's, events so dramatic that it literally changed Australian law into what we know today. 

The genre, think of themes similar to Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling" and a dash of Tim Burton's "Sweeny Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street" -  it's a dark story, and I'm a sucker for a bit of dark mystery. However let it be noted there are moments of true tenderness and beauty, accompanied by a smattering of humour - so just a heads up, you may be in store for an emotional roller coaster ride.

The casting is superb! Each character is strong and well defined right down to the Ensemble. Samantha Morely is infectiously lovable as the free spirited Harriet Piper. Sophie Collins is fabulous as Agatha Makin, a character I feel she makes reminiscent of Walt Disney's Ursula from "The Little Mermaid", and Emma Jones as Clara Makin is... extraordinary.

The singing is consistently good and strong. I've personally been known to switch off during Musicals when voices sound all too similar and generic, but the voices in "The Hatpin" will keep you at the edge of your seat, which I feel is a credit to Music Director Sophie Thomas - and keep an ear out for Thomas' violin as it effortlessly captures the emotion of the moment and will make you wilt inside.

To date this is one of the strongest productions that Magnormos has ever had the pleasure to undertake and congratulations to them for hosting the Melbourne premiere of "The Hatpin", they delivered and a bag of chips!* It was superb acting, singing, musical direction, costumes and lighting. This production is an exciting credit to all persons involved.

The Hatpin

16th - 28th May 2011

Theatre Works, St Kilda

www.magnormos.com

 *(actually a box of delicious choccies on each seat, compliments Schocolate).

Can you Yodel?

Meet Lulu and June Hummingbottom, the conjoined twin daughters of French Canadian genetics Scientist Judy Hummingbottom and renowned Anglo Canadian Pianist Lewis Hummingbottom. The twins are talented and gifted singers specializing in Opera and Jazz, and they can Yodel too!

Part of their act is to dress up as an Angel and Devil, Lulu as the Angel and June as the Devil, however off stage their personalities are to the contrary. Lulu admits she is the cheeky loud one with an "Encyclopedia of Vices".

"If it's frowned upon cos it's 'naughty' or 'innapropiate' I probably indulge myself. Drives June crazy"

- Lulu Hummingbottom   

This has been yet another sneaky preview of the 'Goils of the Sideshow' as part of The Sideshow exhibition, grand opening 7pm Wednesday, August 3 at 6:00pm  until August 26 at Miss Libertine
34 Franklin St

Melbourne, Australia

Squeaky clean?

Señor Manuel Miguel Ratón, or "Squeaky" as he is more fondly referred to by his mistress, is the head butler and number one confidant to Lady Aileana McInnes (aka. Lady Viper, a Pin-up Girl of the Sideshow). He is one of thirty-six siblings born on the outskirts of Barcelona to the Ratón family and comes from a long proud line of Butlers and Housekeepers. His father, Manny Marcos Ratón, worked for the late Lord and Lady McInnes (Lady Viper's dear mother and father) for many years until his untimely and most tragic death alongside his employers where he was succeeded by Squeaky. 


This terrible accident is one that is not too often spoken about, but it's all too intriguing and suspect. Let's just say "there is a lot more to the story" on how Aileana McInnes became sole heir to the McInnes family fortune and name... but you'd have to come  to the Sideshow exhibition @ For Walls Gallery opening Aug 3rd 2011 to find out the full details. (Hosted by beinArt Surrealist Collective)


("Squeaky" Above and Lady Viper Right. 
Click on images to see larger)

Venus: The Bearded Beauty

Daughter of two high school teachers and the eldest of six siblings, Venus, the Sideshow's Bearded Beauty was originally christened as Eden Grace Harper as named after Mount Eden in New Zealand where she was born.

As a young child and well into her teens, she was always academically gifted with an aptitude for Chemistry. To equal her natural brilliance was her beauty, which instead of a blessing Eden felt was a curse. Her beauty was so flawless, even from an early age, that people were intimidated by her  or perhaps too shy to speak to her.

"I was always very lonely as a child and again as a teen. It was horrible. People would just stare at me their mouth opening and shutting like a fish out of water. They would always stare but never speak or utter a word to me"

When Eden turned sixteen, fed up with the curse of loneliness her beauty caused her, she dosed her face in a chemical she had designed to treat dogs with alopecia hoping to cover her appearance and creating the beard that now grows on her face today.

"It's a strange thing, people were still staring at me but in a different way. They now stare at me with child like curiosity, which is great because with curiosity comes questions followed by conversation and then friendship. Having a beard was the best thing I could have done for myself"

Being so academically gifted, you'd expect that Eden would have discovered a cure for her famous whiskers long ago, and it may surprise you to learn that she has.

"I knew how to get rid of my beard the moment I grew it, but I don't want to. It's a part of me and that's the way that I like it" 

You can see Eden aka. Venus: The Bearded Beauty and more at the Sideshow exhibition @ For Walls Gallery opening Aug 3rd 2011. Hosted by beinArt Surrealist Collective