Sullivan Galleries: 2012

The Great Refusal: Taking on New Queer Aesthetics interrogates and explores the concept of queerness in this cultural moment through the work of more than 50 contemporary artists. Through themes of Misuse and Dislocation, Restraint and Indulgence, Progressive Rituals, and Bad Values, this exhibition considers the term "queer" as it intersects with race, class, sexuality, and gender and suggests conceptualizations of what queer aesthetics could be. The exhibition will include a series of performances, film screenings, and panel discussions held at the Sullivan Galleries, as well as at cultural organizations throughout the city.

Curated by instructor Oliverio Rodriguez in collaboration with current SAIC undergraduates and recent alumni: Jordan Avery, Beatriz Aquino, Shandi Hass, Kiam-Marcelo Junio, Nicole Ricket, Jackie Rivas, Hannah Rodriguez, Ali Scott, Jannah Tate, Dana West, Sky White, and Nikki Woloshyn.

The exhibition will include a series of performances, film screenings, and panel discussions held at the Sullivan Galleries, as well as at cultural organizations throughout the city:

• Events by Daviel Shy
  Bouts: A Reaction in Five Parts to Title Fight by Naomi Yorke:
  September 14, 5:30 p.m.
  September 29, 1:00 p.m.
  October 12, 5:15 p.m.
  October 27, 1:00 p.m.
  November 8, 5:15 p.m.
   
• Susan Stryker—October 2, 6:00 p.m.
  One of the leading voices in the field of Transgender Studies, Susan Stryker, will give an account of its emergence as a recognizable field of academic inquiry since the 1990s.
  
  
• Performance by Marissa Perel—October 5, 6:00 p.m.
  Brooklyn-based artist and writer Marissa Perel (MFA 2010) presents the performance Yentl, Rewerked. Adapting her own personal history, sexuality, and religion to the voice of the fictional character Yentl, Perel creates a performance installation based on the short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer and the 1983 movie musical by Barbara Streisand.
   
• Colin Self: Sinister Backbend—October 12, 6:00 p.m.
  Through an abbreviated mini-opera depicting the severe roles of theatricality and materiality in contemporary social media, Self explores synchronicity and dissonance with dance, sculpture, and live audio.
   
• The Great Refusal: Taking on Queer Performance—October 13, 8:00 p.m.
  Defibrillator Gallery, 1136 N. Milwaukee Ave., dfbrl8r.org
  Featuring: Trandroid/Oli Rodriguez, Colin Self, Vajaqueque Brown, [X]P, Shirley Knot, Wes Perry, Mister Junior, Darling Shear and Kiam Marcelo Junio / Jerry Blossom.
  
  
• The Great Refusal:  Videos Taking on New Queer Aesthetics—November 5, 8:00 p.m.
  Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., siskelfilmcenter.org/greatrefusal
  
  
• The Redemption of Ishtar Bukkake—November 8, 6:00 p.m.
  Blurring the lines between ritual, theater, and butoh, Ishtar Bukkake wrestles with faith, fantasy, and bodily desire in a search for redemption for the post-apocalyptic world. This performance is presented by Jose Hernandez as part of  "The Great Refusal: Taking on New Queer Aesthetics"