PANELIST: Lady Karley Marx - Lady Karley Marx is an American drag performer, painter, and pop artist. They are originally from Michigan but based in Chicago, Illinois. Marx's drag persona and name are a play-off of Karl Marx, Marxist/Communist pop-art aesthetics, and the intersections in critical theory, queer theory, and queer liberation theology. They are known for their surreal image reinventions, pop art paintings, and theoretical, artistic connections between art and popular culture and entertainment. Karley is inspired by drag activism (especially in the labor-town of Chicago), both pop-art/ARTPOP of the past half-century, Lady Gaga, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and queer mystics. Marx has partaken in a number of performances, both virtually and in public spaces. Marx is known to be an outspoken critic of American and global imperialism, neoliberalism, modern fascism, and all forms of oppression. In Summer 2022, Marx burst onto the Chicago drag scene performing at iconic venues and clubs such as Roscoe's Tavern, Charlie's Bar, Berlin Nightclub, and Hydrate Nightclub. Marx has worked with other passionate artists and drag queens, kings, and performers throughout the American Midwest and cannot wait to collaborate with more. Marx's goal is to interpret the world and act as a post-capitalist — to actively change the world for the better. They believe in constantly taking risks, praying daily, and thinking creatively that inspiration can be found wherever they look.