DIVERSE DISCOURSE WITH ADRIEL LUIS
Co-presented with Asia Society Texas Center
Join us online on Wednesday, October 7 at 6:30 pm for the Fall 2020 Diverse Discourse Lecture with Adriel Luis, Memory Transplant. Luis is Curator of Digital and Emerging Practice at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. REGISTER HERE
What makes a place? What are the elements that constitute a sense of here? As of late, most of the sites that surround us seem as remote and inaccessible as anywhere else in the world. Meanwhile, we have learned to forge intimacy and share experiences that transcend space and borders. But can any measure of technology, online interaction, or knowledge accumulation from afar instill a pulse of a city, a familiarity with culture, and a notion of having been there – in the absence of physical presence? In Memory Transplant, writer and curator Adriel Luis attempts to form a relationship with Houston through a series of virtual studio visits with artists, video chats with community, and research online. Through this process, he reflects on the obstacles and opportunities of building community in an age of social distance.
Adriel Luis is a community organizer, artist, and curator who believes that our collective imagination can make a reality where we all thrive. His life’s work is focused on bridging artistic integrity and social vigilance. He is a part of the iLL-Literacy arts collective, which creates music and media to strengthen Black and Asian American coalitions; is creative director of Bombshelltoe, which works with artists to highlight marginalized communities affected by nuclear issues; and collaborates with dozens of artists and organizations through his curate and design engine, Phenomenoun. Adriel is the Curator of Digital and Emerging Practice at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, where he advocates for under-served communities to be treated and represented equitably by museums and institutions. He and his team have been curating Culture Labs — an alternative to museum exhibitions, built on community-centered beliefs.
About Diverse Discourse
Diverse Discourse brings national curators, artistic directors, and critics to Houston to present a free public lecture and conduct studio visits with Houston-area artists, performers, and writers. Diverse Discourse provides a significant opportunity for area artists in all disciplines to have their work reviewed by a variety of distinguished arts professionals, fostering a cultural exchange across the nation between artists and cultural producers.
About Asia Society Texas Center
