A Body Remembers_
Does a body remember?
Rooted in the critical examination of colonial legacies, decolonial multimedia art delves into the collective + individual memories of bodies that have been historically marginalized, oppressed, and silenced.
About this particular gaze, we call it :
< poetics of witnessing >
Remember :
Language tells culture, and culture composes history. Language is the materiality of narratives, and it may emphasize or completely hide stories. Stories are all we are, and how we exist in the world.
The zeitgeist of this century :
to address and subvert vocabularies of power.
: :
A Body Remembers is thought to be a multimedia show at the RBC Gallery. Our wish is to use drawing, sculpture, sound art + video art to engage with the main research question:
<<< What does my queer body remember? >>>
Admitting that we, the humans, live in the in-betweens of reality and fiction, the show will answer this proposition through the genres of queer sci fi, and nightmare surrealism. Our intention is to create new works that complement current practices, using sound and video to interfere onto tactile objects.
Through visual, auditory and, tactile means, we wish to challenge dominant narratives to unveil the deeply ingrained memory imprints of resilience, and cultural heritage.
By asking, “does a body remember?”, we wish to investigate decolonial theories that draw attention to the enduring impact of colonial-capitalistic-narcissistic cultures on bodies and communities, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging + reconnecting with body-memory.
_ CURATED BY
<<< rafael zen >>>
_ SOUND ART
<<< khalil alomar >>>
_ DRAWING + SCULPTURE
<<< oliver rinne >>>
_ VIDEO ART + POETRY
<<< rafael zen >>>
RAFAEL ZEN is a queer South-American filmmaker, new-media artist, and performer currently living on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Zen holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Artistic Practices researching anti-capitalist thought through Latinx political resistance, and also studies New Media + Sound Art at Emily Carr University. In Vancouver, Rafael works for Massy Arts Gallery as a curator and arts coordinator.
_Instagram = @rafaelzzzzzzzen (w 7 zeds)
KHALIL ALOMAR is a queer Lebanese Canadian artist whose creative practice primarily revolves around collage, multimedia installation, and performance. The work they have focused on conceptually are within the realms of anticolonial, anti-capitalism anti-religion and anti-establishment theory and practice. Currently, they are pursuing a degree in New Media + Sound Art at Emily Carr University. They live in the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, colonially known as Vancouver. Alomar’s recent practice is centered on sound, video/paper collage, and photography as mediums that provide a platform for critiquing systemic aggressions and religious abuse.
_Instagram = @everythingiscollage
OLIVER RINNE is a queer, Washington based painter and current student of Visual Arts at Emily Carr University. Oliver maintains the goal of creating a visceral connection between his viewer, himself, and his artwork, especially in relation to trauma. He concentrates on portraiture and realism while also implementing anatomy in larger scale pieces. He experiments with multiple mediums but is currently working towards creating a broader range of subjects involving religion, queerness, and anatomy within interdisciplinary sculpture.
_Instagram = @orangerines_