Gena Marvin

Gena Marvin was born in Magadan, Russia. They grew up practicing drag makeup in secret in their parents' house. They were greatly bullied and tormented growing up in their small village. This alongside the tale of Slender Man would become a major inspiration for Marvin’s artwork.[1]

In 2022 Gena Marvin becomes a refugee from the Ukraine-Russian conflict moving to Paris where they live now.[2]

Gena Marvin’s art can effectively be found on social media websites like Instagram and Tiktok. They use this site for their international abilities. Marvin’s art primarily consists of creature drag. They have done several public drag performances in Russia, however, the artist chooses to mostly showcase their work on social media rather than in public. Marvin has spoken about how they have felt unsafe doing their art in public.[3]

A recent collaborative piece they did was called ‘your favorite Ephialtes’ with Polina Oleynikova.[4]

Another example of their work that can be tied with queer activism is the series of photos they took outside a church in Georgia dressed in creature drag. This was a means to give solidarity with queer people in Georgia.[5]

A recent piece, after the artist’s move to Paris, is the wrapping of their body entirely in tape to show the restrictions they felt in their home country and her fear of being drafted to go to war.[2]

They also recently participated in an exhibition at the art center POUSH situated close to Paris. This exhibition ‘Doh Ayay ! ဒို့အရေ’ presents the works of artists in exile and is created by the association named ‘atelier artiste exile’.[6]