Exhibition Info
Queerness is not yet here. Queerness is an ideality. Put another way, we are not yet queer, but we can feel it as the warm illumination of a horizon imbued with potentiality.
-José Muñoz
Tura Oliveira positions labor and desire as tools to access the divine, creating textiles that act as portals into a queer, sci-fi utopia informed by the anarchist utopias of Octavia Butler and Ursula K. LeGuin, and Latinx leftist art. I Saw God and She Wasn’t Made of Money transforms BRIC’s Project Room into a devotional space using embroidery, quilting, beading, and rug tufting. The blending of disparate materials into a patchworked whole serves as a metaphor for the Buddhist understanding of dependent origination, that our lives and consciousness do not exist on its own and are always interconnected.
Oliveira’s hand-dyed silk quilts are layered, mythological narratives that are influenced by and celebratory of the many forms of contemporary intentional communities: the radical action and aesthetics of Chile’s Arpilleristas; the world building narratives of queer Star Trek slash fiction zines; the subterranean temples at Damanhur. Influenced by Mexican muralism, Oliveira uses allegory as a narrative tool and embeds within her textiles stories of collective imagining, elasticizing our perception of our present, and the possibility of a future without the limiting borders and boundaries of colonialism and the binaries of heteronormativity.
Tura Oliveira is a 2020-21 recipient of the ArtFP, an open call for Brooklyn-based visual artists to exhibit at BRIC House.
CURATED BY JENNY GEROW
Bios
In-person viewing at BRIC will be available during reduced hours, Wed-Sat 11AM-6PM, and at reduced capacity. Visitors are encouraged to make a reservation 48 hrs in advance and are asked to limit their time in the space to an hour. In-person viewing availability is subject to change, in accordance with city and state health authorities.
For the safety of our staff and visitors we ask all individuals entering our space to comply with our COVID House Rules. Temperature checks are required upon entry and masks must be worn at all times.
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BRIC House is Brooklyn’s cultural living room: a 40,000 square foot multi-disciplinary arts and media complex where emerging and established artists can create work that deepens their practice and engages the diverse communities of the borough.
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BRIC IS COMMITTED TO WELCOMING PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES
The main floor of BRIC House has an accessible entrance on Rockwell Place, in addition to an accessible, all-gender bathroom. The BRIC Media Center, located on the 2nd floor, is accessible via elevator. The Gallery level is accessible via a wheelchair lift. Portable FM assistive listening devices are available for programs on the Stoop and in the Ballroom upon request. To make a specific access request, or to let us know other ways we can provide you with a welcoming experience, please contact Benno Orlinsky at [email protected] or (718) 683-5637.