Early Work (1988-1995) by Michelle Handelman

  • Still from BloodSisters by Michelle Handelman

    BloodSisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism (1995)

    The 1995 queer film classic that documents San Francisco’s leatherdyke scene.

  • Blood, Guts & Beauty by Michelle Handelman

    Blood, Guts & Beauty (1992-1994)

    A mix of videos, sculptures, and visceral photographs handworked and collaged by Handelman.

  • Women With Weapons

    Women With Weapons (1992-1993)

    A photo series Handelman shot in early 1990s San Francisco & New York City with queer sex workers and their personal weapons.

  • The Torture Series by Michelle Handelman and Monte Cazazza

    The Torture Series (1990-1992)

    Photographs made by Michelle Handelman in collaboration with Monte Cazazza.

  • Still from A History of Pain by Michelle Handelman

    A History of Pain (1992)

    An experimental narrative about the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition and how it still permeates our current psycho-sexual cultural milieu.

  • A still from Catscan by Michelle Handelman and Monte Cazzaza

    Catscan (1990)

    A tongue-in-cheek homage to feline sexuality, cunnilingus and dairy products by Michelle Handelman and Monte Cazzaza.

  • Still from Homophobia is Known to Cause Nightmares by Michelle Handelman

    Homophobia is Known to Cause Nightmares (1989)

    A woman impersonating a man impersonating himself—a revenge film created in a moment of unsafe and insane filmmaking.

  • Still from Safer Sexual Techniques in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

    Safer Sexual Techniques in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1988)

    The first film ever made by Michelle Handelman, a surreal impression of “safe sex” during the AIDS crisis.

  • Early Self-Portraits

    Early Self-Portraits & Photo-Tableaux

    Handelman’s earliest photographs, a series of tableaux using her own body, taken in Chicago in the 1980s.