Sistaaz of the Castle
Sistaazhood, Jan Hoek and Duran Lantink
Art Paper Editions
English
Text by Gerda van de Glind.
Softcover
Edition of 1500
152 pages
225 x 290 mm
2019
ISBN 9789493146204
Jan Hoek, fashion designer Duran Lantink and trans sex worker organisation SistaazHood present ‘Sistaaz of the Castle’, an ongoing project about the colourful looks and lives of transgender sex workers that roam the streets of Cape Town, South Africa. Most of the girls are homeless, living under a bridge near Cape Town’s castle. The Sistaaz are eager activists, proud to be trans, proud to be a sex worker, and even prouder of their stunning sense of style. And they want it to be acknowledged. A series of photographs and a fashion collection based on the girls’ appearance and their ability to turn whatever they find into the most exuberant outfits was created. This has already resulted in a fashion show at Amsterdam Fashion Week (a show in Cape Town in still on the wish list) and a photo exhibition in Foam Amsterdam.
(source: https://artpapereditions.org/product/jan-hoek-sistaaz-of-the-castle)
About the Artists
SistaazHood is a support group for trans women sex workers in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a peer-led organisation, founded by 5 trans women sex workers. The group currently consists of 37 trans women sex workers from Cape Town. As a community they support one another focussing on health; both physical and mental health. Furthermore SistaazHood is an activist organisation advocating for the decriminalisation of sex work and the human & health rights of transgender sex workers. Sistaazhood works in close collaboration with other non-governmental organisations such as Triangle Project, Sex Workers Advocacy Task force (SWEAT) and Gender DynamiX.
supportsistaazhood.org
(source: https://supportsistaazhood.org/)
Jan Hoek (b. 1984) is an artist and writer. In his work he is always attracted to the beauty of outsiders worldwide and always keen to collaborate intensively with people that normally are overlooked and create together a new image. He photographed movie stars like Nairobi based motor taxi riders, an Amsterdam based ex heroin addict who always dreamed of being a super model, created psychedelic zines about the sex tourist capital of the world Pattaya, and made a series about the Maasai who do not identify with the jumping stereotype image. In the universe of Hoek the ‘normal’ people are the strangers and the outsiders are the funky rulers of this planet. Hoek‘s work is shown at places such as Foam (Amsterdam), Unseen Festival (Amsterdam), Photoville (New York), Fomu (Antwerp) and Lagos Photo (Lagos).
janhoek.net
(source: https://janhoek.net/ABOUT-JAN-HOEK)
Duran Lantink is a Dutch designer based in Amsterdam. Lantink’s aim is to produce collections that are both sustainable, ethical and innovative, having worked with diverse communities such as the homeless community in Amsterdam and sex workers in Cape Town. Lantink is known for his commitment to upcycling in fashion, using discarded luxury garments to produce his collections. Notably, Duran created Janelle Monae’s memorable vagina trousers for her 2018 PYNK video. In 2019, Lantink was a special award winner at the International Fashion Showcase as selected by the British Fashion Council and the British Council, also being shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH Prize.
duranlantink.com
(source:https://www.showstudio.com/contributors/duran_lantink)
About the Publisher
APE (Art Paper Editions) is an independent publishing platform founded in 2010 by Jurgen Maelfeyt of Ghent-based design studio 6’56”. APE focusses on the book as an exhibition space and makes publications in close collaboration with artists, writers, institutions, galleries, and other cultural protagonists. Publications are crafted to the highest standard. Many of our publications are acquired by institutional libraries such as Moma, Centre Pompidou and Macba amongst others.
artpapereditions.org
(source: https://artpapereditions.org/about)
