NZPhotographer Issue 53, March 2022

I’m a 23 year old full time photographer based in Wellington. I’m a Jewish Middle
Eastern transgender man with a huge passion for creating imagery that reflects
myself and my community. I co-own Pansy Studio on Dixon Street with Carissa
Corlett, a queer photography studio we have created together to amplify LGBT+
creative voices. I do a mixture of studio, on-location, and event photography, all
of my photos being camp, colourful, and eye-catching.
www.adenmeser.com
THE ART OF WELLINGTON DRAG
I initially began Capital Drag Collective as a University Project and released a handmade
photobook in 2019 featuring Wellington-based drag performers, in which the drag performers
were told to arrive in their most iconic look, therefore portraying their persona as accurately as
possible.
The book brought awareness to the incredible amount of diversity in Wellington’s drag scene
such as kings, queens, character-based artists, monsters, and aliens. Capital Drag Collective, of
which 4 images feature here, is a queer slice of the gorgeously chaotic drag scene that holds a
huge role of importance within the LGBT+ community.
The images have been featured nationwide and the book is currently being revamped for rerelease
next year to make it bigger, better, and bolder, the new format (subject to funding)
allowing us to showcase a larger number of drag performers and the amount of energy and love
they pour into their work.
NZPhotographer
March 2022
41