Photographer MJ Bentley’s mantra sounds something like this: Annie Leibovitz, Anna Wintour, David LaChapelle, Jacques Louis David, Gregory Crewdson, Madeline Albright, Nan Goldin, Obama, Steven Klein, Yayoi Kusama…
“Reciting the names of the photographers, artists, and notable figures who have influenced me, either in my head or out loud, is how I ground myself and acknowledge the people who came before me,” the Austrailian-American artist explains. “It’s also a reminder of where I want to go; I want to create work that matters.”
MJ’s commitment to honoring her influences shines through in her portraits, from drag queens and queer playwrights to corporate bigwigs and Halloween-themed wedding guests. With a remarkable talent for capturing the essence of her subjects, MJ introduces viewers to big personalities, creative icons, and drag-world darlings like Sarah Jessica Carpark and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Aubrey Haive, who both appear in MJ’s ongoing series Queens.
“Queens asks the viewer to look at each photograph like a window into another world and write a storyline within their own mind,” says MJ. “Each photograph in Queens uses drag queens to both express a unique story and represent a culture.” The series also features Deja, Dettol, mustachioed mistress Tilly Capulet, and Jimmi The Kween, an accomplished musician known as “the galaxy’s only quadruple threat drag entertainer.” MJ has collaborated with Jimi on multiple projects over the years, including album covers for singles “Venus Bitch” and “Interstellar (Ra, ta, ta),” a swooning, high-octane club hit created with Reuben Styles of Y.O.G.A.
“[Jimi and Reuben] were essentially like two little kids,” MJ recalls, describing the photo shoot for the “Interstellar” album cover. “They excitedly scrolled through their phones, showing me vintage Star Wars pictures, and asked, ‘Can you make us look like Star Wars?!’ They had an idea in mind and then let me make it happen—plus, “Interstellar (Ra, Ta, Ta)” is a great summer song.”
Masterfully blending art and storytelling, MJ invites viewers to experience the stories that define the LGBTIQA+ community, emphasizing the vital role of drag queens as icons of self-expression, freedom, and creativity. As she elevates their stories, MJ challenges viewers to reflect on their perceptions, making her images resonate far beyond the frame.
Scroll through to see MJ Bentley’s work, then head to our January 2025 exhibition, Out of Body, to see her submission, “Male Nude: Zander.”
In Today’s Q+Art Interview…
MJ Bentley discusses the emotional impact of her portraits, the quirky keepsakes that fill her studio, and the importance of somatic work and yoga in maintaining her mental health.
How do you feel about the feedback from your audience, particularly regarding the emotional impact of your portraits?
MJ Bentley: I want more! I enjoy hearing about how viewers connect with my work. From tears to straight men being attracted to some of my drag queen work, from in-depth analyses to just a “hot” comment on Instagram. Hearing from the viewer is an experience I value.
What inspires you most when you’re conceptualizing a new photoshoot, and how do you approach your creative process?
MJB: That really depends on the shoot.
For my photography business, I study the artist, author, designer, or whoever is relevant to the commission. I then might have something I’m really interested in at that time that I integrate into the work.
For my art practice, I’m inspired by what I want to say at the time. Art is a continuous conversation that started with Neanderthal paintings in the Maltravieso cave and continues today. For example, one of my favorite pieces of mine, which I’ve only exhibited once in Mt. Macedon, is called “Wendy.” “Wendy” is a quadriptych portrait I made of a person named Wendy. In real life, Wendy’s face, eyeballs, and body are completely tattooed. I met them when they were working coat check at a hip-hop bar named Laundry here in Melbourne. I shot some portraits of Wendy in the studio, digitally edited them, digitally painted them, and then had AI essentially break and reform them. The portraits are imaginings of tattooed warriors from a mythical culture and are about tattoo stigma. The artist statement serves to educate the viewer about the history of tattoo stigmas so they are better informed about where biases stem from and stigmas that may not be relevant to the modern day.
What’s something you keep in your studio that would surprise us?
MJB: I share my studio with a photographer who has been around for a long time, named Anthony (Ant for short). Ant likes his quirky keepsakes. There’s a hand-sized rubber spider hanging over the workbench, a toy AFL ball, a Darth Vader mask, and a mannequin named Blanche for a while. When I first came to the studio, I redesigned the storage system and started to push toward getting rid of some of the quirky bits. Eventually, Ant declared, quite dramatically in his elegant voice, “I will not have you rid this studio of its personality!” Some bits went, and some bits stayed.
What do you most value in your friends?
MJB: Strong backbones, mutual respect, great interests, great conversation, fun, phone calls, no judgment, and psychic abilities.
If you were a fictional character, who would you be?
MJB: Spiderman / Peter Parker.
I recently photographed my friends Georgia and Hunter’s wedding. They had a Halloween wedding topped off with a replica of the entrance arch to Dante’s Inferno Room in Beetlejuice. Georgia is a production designer and handmade the arch! Anyway, I tried to think of a fictional character who is also a photographer to dress for the wedding, and I landed on Spiderman.
Being Spiderman would rock; I could have limitless angles and create a documentary series on crime fighting. Alternatively, being Aquaman would be great for underwater photography.
Side note: if I can use this interview for another purpose for a moment, I was into the officiant of the wedding mentioned above. She went as Frank-N-Furter. Hey Jess, if you’re reading this, ask me out!
What do you do to maintain your mental health?
MJB: Somatic work and studying are keys to my mental health. Yoga is important to me, as is wellness, meditation, sound baths, and having some level of spirituality.
What does success mean to you as an artist?
MJB: For me, success as an artist is reaching a place of no limits. Success is having all the resources, access, time, influence, etc., to create or document whatever or whoever I want.
What advice do you have for aspiring photographers who want to carve out a niche in the competitive world of photography?
MJB: Study other photographers, practice, be an active member of the photography community, and find your own identity.
MJ Bentley: Website | Instagram | Contact
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of MJ Bentley. Featured image: “Aubrey Haive” (from the Queens series).