Hydraulics of Grief: An artist talk with poet and artist Jaamil Olawale Kosoko
You're invited to join visiting artist and 2020 Alma Hawkins Memorial Visiting Chair, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko for an artist talk and discussion on October 9, 2020. Kosoko writes, "my work in performance art, theater, and social justice exists against the ceaseless unyielding hydraulics of grief, whether it be mental, physical, or environmental." As people across the planet are becoming aware of the cloak of anti-blackness and the pervasive coloniality at the root of modern world systems, how might the work of performance and everyday life confront the hydraulics of grief? How might we consider the agreements, systems of care, and alternative methodologies needed in this particular moment? This talk offers frames and observations for what a thoughtful performance praxis might mean amidst tides of overwhelming grief and urgent calls to action.
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko is a Nigerian American performance artist, poet, and curator originally from Detroit, MI. His creative practice draws from Black study and queer theories of the body, weaving together visual performance, lecture, ritual, and spiritual practice. Recent awards include a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Choreography, 2019 NPN Development Fund Award, 2019-21 Movement Research Artist in Residence, 2018-20 Live Feed Artist at New York Live Arts, 2017-19 Princeton Arts Fellow, 2019 Red Bull Writing Fellow, 2017 MAP Fund recipient, and a 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Fellow. His works have toured internationally to South Africa, Europe, Canada, and throughout the US appearing in festivals and venues such as The Centre for the Less Good Idea (Johannesburg), Fusebox Festival (Austin), PICA | Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Tanz im August (Berlin), Moving in November (Finland), Within Practice (Sweden),TakeMeSomewhere (UK), Brighton Festival (UK), Oslo Teaterfestival (Norway), and Zürich MOVES! (Switzerland) among others. He is the author of two chapbooks: Animal in Cyberspace and Notes on An Urban Killfloor. His poems and essays have been included in The American Poetry Review, The Dunes Review, The Broad Street Review, among others. Season 1 of his interview-based podcast, American Chameleon can be found on all podcast platforms. Visit jaamil.com or follow @chameleon_coalition on Instagram for more information.
Photo: Erik Carter