Interview: Tatu Vuolteenaho – Between Mirrors, Music, and Queer Magic
By Queerland Media
Photos by Raul Medina & Tatu Vuolteenaho
Location: Klaus K Hotel, Helsinki
Tatu Vuolteenaho Outside the Klaus K Hotel Helsinki. Picture by ©Raul Medina
We met Finnish artist and Drag DJ Tatu Vuolteenaho at the stylish and LGBTQ+ friendly Klaus K Hotel in downtown Helsinki. Originally, the plan was to chat over cocktails in the Long Bar, but there was one essential thing missing — a mirror.
And for a drag artist, mirrors are sacred. The idea of this interview was also to see Tatu's transformation.
So, we moved the interview to one of the hotel’s modern, concrete-walled bathrooms — industrial, minimalistic, and blessedly full of giant mirrors. Between makeup brushes, laughter, and stories that span decades and continents, Tatu took us on a journey through the world that shaped him — from a small town in northern Finland to the underground club scene of New York City.
“I’ve always been myself — even when people didn’t understand it.”
Tatu's graduation in 1988.
Queerland Media (QM): Who was Tatu before becoming the visual artist and DJ we know today?
Tatu: I was wild. I loved expressing myself — I always have. I think it was in the 80s when I started feeling drawn to the New Romantic style. I was obsessed with Duran Duran, Depeche Mode… that whole gender-fluid fashion energy. I read i-D magazine a lot, which you could actually get in Finland back then, and I was fascinated by London nightlife. I imagined being there one day.
Look a little goth, was in St George Utah, USA in 1986, Junior prom in High School. ©Tatu Vuolteenaho
I was 13 or 14, changing my hair color all the time, sewing clothes with my girlfriend back then — she studied fashion, so we spent weekends creating our own outfits and going to parties. People talked, but mostly in a good way. We stood out, and we loved that.
Later, I went on a student exchange to the U.S., in Utah of all places — I ended up living with a Mormon family. I was sixteen. It was 1985–86 — quite a contrast to who I was inside.
The Club Kid Years: New York City, 1989
QM: You went to New York in 1989 and became part of the legendary club scene. What was that experience like for a young queer artist from Finland?
Tatu: Oh, it changed everything. I studied photography at F.I.T., started showing my work at Limelight, and became part of the Disco 2000 crowd. I met Michael Alig — he told me, “Dress up, dance, enjoy it,” and paid me $80–100 a night.
That was the Club Kids era — theatrical, rebellious, full of art and excess. We created our own world. For me, drag wasn’t just a costume; it became a performance, a job, and a way to make money. It shaped me forever.
Tatu Vuolteenaho
“New York taught me that drag could be art — and that art could be survival.”
In 1990, Tatu was working for a hat designer in NYC and posed on several occasions.Visibility, Fame, and Queer Freedom
QM: When did you realize your self-expression was inspiring others in the queer community?
Tatu: I don’t know exactly when, but people have told me I inspired them. When I lived in New York, many found it interesting that I was Finnish — a foreigner in this wild, artistic movement. I was photographed by Steven Meisel for Interview Magazine.
Tatu & Nina Picture by ©Steven Meisel for Interview Magazine 1990
That mix — being from Finland, queer, visible in the club scene — made me stand out. And I’ve always been very social, very open. I think that helped.
Queer Life, Cities, and Art
Tatu has lived in New York, London, Madrid, and Helsinki — always reinventing himself. His work has appeared in publications like The Face and Vision (China), and his 2014 documentary Housewife From Mars aired on Finnish television. Later, We Are Here We Are Queer by Andrés Senra featured him at Madrid World Pride 2017.
Tatu Vuolteenaho:
“Drag gave me confidence. Femininity gave me power.”
Photo by ©Raúl Medina - Tatu Vuolteenaho at Klaus K Hotel Helsinki. 2025QM: In the 80s, being openly queer was still taboo in many places. Did you ever feel fear?
Tatu: I started my queer life young, in Helsinki. It was fun — there was already a gay scene, small but alive. In New York, it was different — amazing. I met trans people and learned so much from them. That world was new to me. I don’t understand why there’s still so much transphobia. Trans people are wonderful.
(We paused as Tatu started his drag transformation — carefully blending makeup, explaining the importance of light, and how every contour tells a story.)
Art as Survival, Drag as Connection
QM: Many queer artists talk about feeling misunderstood or alone when starting out. Did you ever feel that?
Tatu: Maybe when I was younger, but my world was always artistic. My circle was queer, creative, expressive — that made it easier to be myself. Living in different countries helped too. I’ve met so many amazing queer people through art and nightlife.
©Tatu Vuolteenaho. Green wig in Manchester 1995. Photos with Kasper and Billy Beyond are from 1990 - 1991 taken by Sin-Dee and at Copacabana, a monthly party of Suzanne Bartsch. Plastic Pony Disco in Helsinki with red wig 1992.When I moved to London in 1998, I was a web designer by day, photographer and club kid by night — part of the Electroclash scene at clubs like Nag Nag Nag, The Cock, and Horse Meat Disco. It was a wild, creative time.
Drag Attack: Where Art Meets Party
QM: Let’s talk about your project Drag Attack. How did that start?
Tatu: Drag Attack started in Helsinki in 2010 as a weekly party. Then we took it to Madrid and Valencia. The idea is simple: all DJs and hosts must dress up in drag — but no experience needed. I help them with their looks. Drag can be anything: a queen, a king, a freak — even something beyond human.
Tatu Vuolteenaho
“Drag is not only transformation — it’s liberation.”
Picture by ©Raúl Medina QM: You’ve said that when you’re not in drag, you’re shy. Is that true?
Tatu: Totally. When I’m in drag, everyone wants to talk to me. Out of drag, I can be invisible. But drag gives me strength. I’m not tall, but as a drag, I feel powerful — feminine energy gives me confidence.
Queer Witches: The Spiritual Side
QM: Tell us about Queer Witches.
Tatu: I’ve always been drawn to spirituality — rituals, harmony, learning from others. In many countries, you see a strong link between religion and queerness, like the idea of the third gender. Queer Witches began as portraits of queer people with a spiritual aura. It grew into an art project — and I want to turn it into a book. I’ve shown my art in museums in Finland and Spain.
Music, DJing, and Presence
QM: You started DJing house and techno in the 90s. What happens to you when you’re behind the decks?
Tatu: I become very focused. When I’m DJing, I disconnect from everything else. People might try to talk to me, but I’m in my own world. I’ve played from São Paulo to Ibiza, even Burning Man in Nevada.
©Tatu Vuolteenaho
“Music is my meditation. Drag is my mask. Both are my truth.”
The Nordic Queer Scene
QM: How do you see the queer scene in Helsinki compared to cities like Madrid?
Tatu: Helsinki is small but united. Madrid is huge — more diverse but also more divided by taste and music. Here in Finland, it feels more connected, more supportive.
Final Thoughts
QM: What would you tell younger queer artists or your younger self?
Tatu: Believe in yourself. Choose your style and own it. Originality always wins. It’s okay to be inspired by others, but make your look yours. That’s what people remember.
QM: And have you found your place in the world?
Tatu: I think so. Every city has given me something — New York, London, Madrid, Helsinki. They’ve all shaped me. I’m happy living between Madrid and Helsinki now. I still love to party, dance, and be myself.
We thank the team at Klaus K Hotel for their support and for letting us turn a bathroom mirror into a stage of memories, color, and queer magic.
