The Rhinoplastys

Infamous and funniest Party in Town

Photographer Nadine Cordial Settele visited our three hosts Andreas Reiter, Marius Valente, and Bernd Eischeid with her camera, this time before the party for a change. She spoke with them about the splendors of dressing up, what distinguishes the “Rhino” from the typical queer parties, and about high heels. Check out the very fine Rhinoplasty party photos!

Text: Nadine Cordial Settele

Party

"The higher the heels, the closer to god!"

Under way in the Viennese nightlife scene? There’s one event series that you will not be able to avoid: the notorious Rhinoplasty evenings (short: Rhino), which take place every two weeks at Club U at Karlsplatz with free entrance.

That’s where everyone meets to party late in the night – regardless of gender, skin color, confession, or sexual orientation, everybody’s welcome. The music’s loud, the dance floor’s packed wall to wall, it’s hot, the crowd gyrates giddy and cavalier whether it’s 90s Eurotrash or Katy Berry mash-ups and Biggie Smalls hymns. Many of the visitors are clad in costumes – the lovingly trashy designed outfits play off the respective theme of the evening. There’s no limit to your fantasy: from unicorns in latex suspenders to human juice extractors or just your classic drag queen, this place has pretty much seen it all.

Equally as infamous as the evenings in Club U are the countless photos posted on Facebook the day after the party, which pretty much capture the essence of Rhinoplasty: it’s about have a good time together.

“We’re never making fun of something, just ourselves.”

This weekend’s Rhino had the motto “Kwanzaa meets Safaripark Gänserndorf”. Our photographer Nadine Cordial Settele visited the Rhinoplasty hosts Andreas Reiter, Marius Valente, and Bernd Eischeid before the party and documented their two-hour transformation into a zebra, a cat, and a “totally normal healthy woman” (Bernd Eischeid). She had the opportunity to ask a few questions.

Nadine Cordial Settele: What is Rhinoplasty?

Andreas Reiter: Simply a fun party with different themes every time, often with some sort of political connotation, and even when it is “political” in the sense of “one’s take on pop and culture” it is still first and foremost a party and not a symposium.

Why isn’t Rhinoplasty your “typical queer party” and what distinguishes it from other parties?

A.R.: Because the public is mixed consciously and purposefully. That results in a totally different dynamic. Picking up somebody is secondary, but it also happens. I think that’s the main difference to queer parties. Anyway, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

“Our parties have already bred a number of matrimonies!”

Why does dressing up rate so high for you? Would you say that you’re dressing in drag?

A.R.: Sure, now and then it’s your classic drag deal, often it’s clown make-up. Dressed up you simply have more fun and completely other freedoms. It is hard to understand why so few people want to dress up, especially when it doesn’t have to be all that involved.

The Rhinoplasty Organizers: Andi Reiter & Marius Alexis Lagerfeld Valente

There’s already been a lot of Rhino Specials: “Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace”, “Fight Club ESC”, “Final Frontier Trekkie”, “Thomas Bretzina”, “Chanel O Ween – Halloween”, or “Ponyhof” – you guys don’t seem to run out of ideas. What’s your inspiration for the themes?

A.R.: There’s a lot of things that inspire us: pop culture, daily events, things that we like, that we find stupid, or that interest us at the moment. The main thing is to have your own approach to the theme. But we’re never making fun of something, just ourselves.

Which cliché about Rhino is confirmed time and again?

A.R.: “The higher the heels, the closer to god!” – there’s always truth in that!

And which cliché never?

A.R.: That a hetero, whether a girl or a boy, can’t find someone to flirt with at a “gay party”. Our parties have already bred a number of matrimonies, and another Rhino baby is currently on the way: and it is surely not the last!

Club U in the Otto Wagner Pavilion

Karlsplatz/Künstlerhauspassage
1040 Vienna

Photo albums on Facebook (only for subscribers and friends)

Instagram: rhinoplastyclub
Rhinoplasty on You Tube: Club rhinoplasty diary

And just cause it is so wonderful, here’s a few more Rhinoplasty party photos:

The Tiefe Kümmernis

Text: Eva Holzinger

Same-sex love, transvestism, and intersexual people have always existed – also in art. Benjamin aka drag queen Tiefe Kümmernis [derived from Saint Wilgefortis] gives guided tours through the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, which provide a queer view upon masterpieces by the likes of Raphael, Correggio, and Titian. Gender bending art galore! We met Ben in one of the most solemn places in Vienna and were invited on a tour. Without make-up, wig, and tortuous high heels.

Art Thinking