As part of the public programming for Historiographical Interventions, a screening and discussion will take place at The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center in Room 309. Following a screening of select videos from Cynthia Tobar’s ongoing projects Cities for People, Not for Profit and ¿Dónde puedo ir? Searching for Home and a screening of Kevin Quiles Bonilla’s 2019 performance Presidential Alert (America, Lip-sync for your Life), Anthony Huffman will facilitate a conversation between Bonilla and Tobar as it relates to themes of space, power, representation, and the framing of historical narratives. Over the course of the evening, the participants will compare and contrast the practices of Tobar and Bonilla, and question how contemporary events get historicized and by whom. In the case of the former, they will consider stories around housing, displacement, and gentrification in Bushwick, and in the case of the latter, they will contemplate how narratives around Hurricane Maria's impact on Puerto Rico were framed and represented in the media. This event marks the first collaboration between Kunstraum LLC and The Clemente.
For the press release for the exhibition, please click here.
Cynthia Tobar (b. 1977) is an artist, activist-scholar, archivist, and oral historian who is passionate about creating interactive, participatory stories documenting social change. She has conceptualized and exhibited several captivating oral history and socially engaged art projects that document social movements and student activism.
headshot of Kevin Quiles Bonilla
Kevin Quiles Bonilla (b. 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a BA in Fine Arts – Photography from the University of Puerto Rico (2015) and an MFA from Parsons The New School for Design (2018). He explores ideas around power, colonialism, and history with his identity as context. He currently lives and works between Puerto Rico and New York.
Image credits: 1) Kevin Quiles Bonilla, performance still of Presidential Alert (America, Lip-sync for Your Life), 2019, courtesy of the artist; 2) Headshot of Cynthia Tobar; 3) Headshot of Kevin Quiles Bonilla, photo by Rebecca Ou (2020)
