Film and Electronic Arts Program, Experimental Humanities Program, Center for Curatorial Studies, and Asian Studies Program Present
Asian futures, without Asians
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Avery Art Center
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST/GMT-5
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST/GMT-5
An illustrated lecture by Astria Suparak.
Followed by a conversation between Suparak and Dawn Chan, Center for Curatorial Studies.
Asian futures, without Asians is a new presentation by artist and curator Astria Suparak, which asks: “What does it mean when so many white filmmakers envision futures inflected by Asian culture, but devoid of actual Asian people?”Followed by a conversation between Suparak and Dawn Chan, Center for Curatorial Studies.
Part critical analysis, part reflective essay and sprinkled throughout with humor, justified anger, and informative morsels, this one-hour illustrated lecture examines over fifty years of American science fiction cinema through the lens of Asian appropriation and whitewashing. The quick-paced presentation is interspersed with images and clips from dozens of futuristic movies and TV shows, as Suparak delivers anecdotes, trivia, and historical documents (including photographs, ads, and cultural artifacts) from the histories of film, art, architecture, design, fashion, food, and martial arts. Suparak discusses the implications of not only borrowing heavily from Asian cultures, but decontextualizing and misrepresenting them, while excluding Asian contributors.
Asian futures, without Asians was commissioned by The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts. It’s one part of Suparak’s multipart research series of the same name, which includes videos, installations, collages, essays, publications, and other projects.
For more information, call 845-758-7598, e-mail [email protected],
or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asian-futures-without-asians-tickets-203139865807.
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST/GMT-5
Location: Avery Art Center