My lifework is a process of embodying Echo the Golden Ghost. As Echo, I explore the materiality of gold which holds allusions to pillaging, forced labor, and the colonial imposition of the gold standard as the basis of the world market economy, as well as queer glamour, precolonial spirituality, and the hauntings of the cosmos.

The first iteration of the performance is “Puto Santísimo.” During this iteration, I am adorned in gold makeup and sport a handmade golden textile ruana, traditional to Andean culture, as well as a gold syringe crown, a testosterone bottle-rosary, nipple tassels, a black leather collar and a strapon harness. I start the performance with a celebratory statement about my one month off of hormone replacement therapy, which my crown and rosary provide reference to. I reach into my mochila and hand out an array of gold-coated shells and pill bottles to the audience as an offering. I then pick up a small jar filled with medical ephemera from my art installation on the wall of the gallery, entitled “Perfect Lovers,” an ongoing collaboration with Alex Dolores Salerno. I hold the jar as an infant and reference the Catholic imagery of Santa María con bebe Jesús. I proceed with a poetry reading and slow striptease. Finally I conclude with some stirring sounds made by blowing into my gold-leafed drain pipe instrument.