Hell in a Handbag

Synopsis

Performance artist Jibz Cameron has spent more than two decades creating the cult alter ego Dynasty Handbag, a fearless, absurd, and wildly original character who has skewered everything from gender and capitalism to celebrity, depression, and the strange rituals of everyday life. In Hell in a Handbag, Cameron turns her singular voice toward memoir, tracing a life shaped by hippie communes, the East Bay punk scene, experimental theatre, visual art, and an unwavering commitment to making work that refuses convention.

By turns hilarious, grotesque, vulnerable, and unexpectedly moving, this is far more than an artist's autobiography. Cameron reflects on creativity, survival, misogyny, queerness, and the exhilarating freedom of embracing the absurd. Written with razor-sharp wit and startling honesty, Hell in a Handbag is an unforgettable portrait of an artist determined to make meaning out of chaos, and to laugh while doing it.

About the Author

Jibz Cameron is an American writer, performer, visual artist, and actor best known for her acclaimed multimedia performance project Dynasty Handbag. A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the United States Artists Award and Creative Capital Grant, her work has been presented at institutions including BAM, REDCAT, MOCA Los Angeles, and The Kitchen. She lives in Los Angeles.

Publisher

DOPAMINE / Semiotext(e)

Publication Date

May 5, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

320

Subjects

Memoir · Performing Arts · Queer Studies · Contemporary Art · Comedy · Literary Nonfiction

ISBN

9781635902785