Richie Shazam Thinks This Is All A Circus

The EditorsFri, April 17, 2026 at 1:30 PM UTC

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Richie Shazam Thinks This Is All A CircusPhoto: Courtesy of Richie Shazam

Richie Shazam’s creativity knows no bounds. At a time when the boundaries between art, performance, photography, and media are falling apart, she is collapsing them entirely. In her first exhibition, I Was Never Meant To Survive This—now showing at the McLennon Pen Co. Gallery in Austin, TX—the multi-hyphenate puts herself in front of the camera lens, using her own body as her medium to construct a series of self-portraits that blur the line between fantasy and lived experience. In this new multi-media body of work, Shazam interrogates identity, gender, and the politics of visibility with intense intimacy. In the process, she’s created a world where everyone’s invited—one that is both politically charged and visually appealing.

Harper’s Bazaar’s newest questionnaire series, “First, Now, Next,” dives into the past, present, and future of some of our favorite creatives, spotlighting the moments and influences that have influenced them. Read on to learn more about the ways Shazam is building community by stepping outside of herself, who her truest friends in the industry are, and her go-to wardrobe picks.

What’s the first piece of art that cracked something open in you?

The first piece that we constructed for my exhibition was a self-portrait entitled Father Figure. I was in hair, makeup, prosthetics, styled as my middle-aged father, who I’ve been estranged from for a very long time—maybe well over 15 years. It was such a mind fuck to embody this person that, I will say, is definitely one of the biggest points of contention and trauma for me. Allowing myself to enter that space was not only jarring and intense, but also heavily cathartic because, after I fully stepped into character and looked in the mirror, I couldn’t even recognize myself.

The work is heavily autobiographical. It’s stripping away the fantasy—because I feel like fantasy is such a big part of like my identity—but it’s almost reinterpreting the fantasy; using fantastical elements to honestly portray these traumatic bits of my life. I think it really cracked me open. Like goo was spilling out, literally like goo and slime. It was grotesque and coming out of my pores.

Have you had a failure that ended up changing your career?

Honestly, I’ve dealt with a lot of failure and a lot of rejection in my career. As they say, rejection is redirection, and the thing about me is that I always stay busy. I’m on my grind because I love making things.

How did you define success at 16? How would you define it now?

When I was 16, my mom passed away, and my reason for existing at that moment was to make her proud. I was like, “What would my mom want?” She would want me to graduate from high school and then go to college, and I fucking did that. I think now, all of the work I make, especially this deep autobiographical work, all of it is a way of honoring, but also eulogizing her and her spirit. Now, I just want to be secure and build a legacy, but also create ecosystems for people—the people that are in my world—to exist and benefit from, because I didn’t really have that.

Richie Shazam, the living room: FATHERFIGURE, 2026Photo: Shazam Studios: Austin DeWitt & Billy Cole LandersWhat are you saying “no” to now? What are you saying “yes” to?

I’m saying no to disorder. I’m saying no to my natural inclination to chaos. I’m saying yes to streamlining, organizing, and getting my shit together. I think that I’m really trying to be on my grown and sexy entrepreneurial boss lady realness. I want so much more for myself. I’ve gotten myself this far, but I need to step it up.

In making this series of self-portraits, what did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I’m not defined by my story and that my story has given me the stamina and the strength to exist in this world. I have so much that I want to give back and give to my community—we’re nothing without our communities and our family of chosen spirits. I always imagined that I would one day want to do something like this body of work; it was so mind-blowing for me that I could do things on this scale.

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How does making art change when your body is part of the canvas?

I have always had a very intense relationship with my body. My body has always been armor and protection for me. It’s definitely one of the many canvases that I use to tell a story. My body is dying. My body is inherently in a decaying state as I’m battling diabetes, and also in the midst of my gender transformation. [I am] stepping into this body that is very delicate, very fragile, and I am always pushing it to the limits— for my art and for the way I live, and also for survival. I’m always having to go against the grain.

If you could wear only one outfit for the rest of your life and had to pull it out of your closet right now, what would you reach for?

I have a really extensive Vaquera collection. I love my Vaquera T-shirts. I love my incredible, Supreme t-shirts. I have this one Chopova Lowena skirt that I've had for like 1,000,000 years. Every time I wear her, I just feel so free. She’s fun. I have different variations of the Kiki boots, and every time I put them on, I am stumbling, falling, feeling it—it’s giving Alice in Wonderland boots. I’m inherently very chaotic with my clothing choices, but I think those outline the vibe.

What lesson learned during the making of this project do you think you’ll bring to the next one?

Giving myself grace and also time. Understanding the importance of time, how it’s used, articulated, and managed. Also, [the idea that I can] push it even further. I’ve always been a risk-taker, and I feel like there’s even more [I could do], so maybe in the next iteration, for New York or LA or wherever the show travels to next.

If you could collaborate with anyone next?

I recently met Paul McCartney at the Performance Space Gala that I graciously got to host. He’s just an incredible artist.

If you could single-handedly dictate the next big trend in culture, what would it be?

Eliminating black and white thinking. Let’s exist harmoniously in the gray area. I think we have to get over ourselves because I think black and white thinking also gives weird patriarchal bullshit. It doesn’t allow anyone to have an opinion. Everyone’s right and wrong to everyone. Our voices are literally being eliminated, and it’s like… why?

Richie Shazam, the bedroom: HIJRA, 2026Photo: Shazam Studios: Austin DeWitt & Billy Cole LandersIf you stopped making art today, what would your next act be?

I would want to be a ringleader of the circus. I feel like that’s where my people are. When you really think about it, this is all a circus act, and we’re all clowns. Who’s like the baddest bitch of the circus? The bearded lady. She’s literally like the most iconic person ever.; transgressive and subversive. She’s breaking ground, and that’s why she’s deemed a star, because she’s a sight to see.

What do you hope people will take away from I Was Never Meant To Survive This ?

I think the larger focus for me was having the show in Austin, Texas. In my imagining of America, Texas almost feels like the heartbeat. I was born and raised in New York, and I want to be in spaces that are unfamiliar, unknown, untapped. I didn’t know a lot about Texas besides the endless headlines about the attacks on our community that are happening there, so I just felt like I needed to puncture this space and bring my work there and almost smear it on the walls so the people can experience it. Obviously, [I am] building it and making it for our community to offer it almost as a token of hope and a reprieve from the status-quo, but also for the ones that don’t agree with us and are in opposition—they are the ones I am really making it for. I want them to walk in, see the images, and start questioning things; to take away an alternate reality. Doing the show in Texas, I wanted to reach people, but I also wanted to get out of what I know. I think true artistry is to break ground and to go outside of yourself.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”