Sable Elyse Smith, How We Tell Stories to Children (video still), 2015
Artist Sable Elyse Smith and Shaun Leonardo will present a participatory performance and lecture, in conjunction with the exhibition Inherited. Leonardo will present I Can't Breathe, his performance which takes the form of a self-defense class in which participants will learn a range of self-defense techniques. There will be a conversation after which will be moderated by Kimberly Drew, Founder of Black Contemporary Art.
This work will be derived from each artist interest in portraiture; rendering imagery with the body; and in the case of Smith self-portraiture – as a technique which might bleed into collective constructions of identity.
In response to the narratives of our contemporary, say police brutality, the performance will be enacted in the bodies of the spectator, rendering experiences foreign or abstract to some, more visceral and hyper present. While Leonardo explodes preconceived notions of identity enacted through ritual and media; Smith undermines them through intimate renders of stark narratives both elusive and forcefully present. Please join both artist for a participatory performance followed by a moderated talk.
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