ABSTRACT
Sparking a veritable retail frenzy evocative of the energy of Macy's early 1980s Madonna boutiques, the list drew a map that any Madonna impersonator, from a professional drag performer to someone merely dressing for a social engagement, could follow. The title of the series, 'Madonna's Indian Summer', evoked nostalgia for the slowly evanescing summer, and provoked curiosity as to what Madonna had to do with anything Indian. One photograph in the LaChapelle portfolio speaks best to the issue of what types of travel Hindu Madonna embodies and enacts: Madonna, costumed in semi-transparent Goth tights and camisole, floats outstretched on a post-apocalyptic red river, against a dragon, a cloud of fire and a Rising Sun symbol. LaChapelleLand contains many images that resonate in interesting and problematic ways with the photos in the 'Indian Summer'series; specifically, his representations of Madonna previous to the 'Indian Summer'series provide insights as to LaChapelle's vision of her.
