Ocaña: The Queer Practice

In the 1970s Barcelona was a major nexus of Spanish counterculture, and the drag artist and painter José Ángel Pérez Ocaña―known as Ocaña―was at the heart of the scene. Ocaña (1947–1983) was particularly visible during the transition period following Franco's death in 1975, and was often to be seen strolling along Las Ramblas in extravagant costumes, staging spontaneous happenings or procesiones. The procesiones combined camp with the traditions of the artist’s native Andalusia, such as the Holy Week parades in which cofradías (“brotherhoods”) of Catholic men carry huge, elaborately-decorated floats containing large statues of saints or the Virgin Mary. Using papier-mâché figures of virgins and little angels, Ocaña led his own processions throughout Barcelona, regularly causing a sensation. This volume offers the first overview of this neglected performance pioneer and Catalonian hero.