Artist Jesse van den Berg will dive with their guests into the multiple ways of expressing their own queerness. In this conversation with design activist Gyor Moore, visual artist Giovanni Maisto Ferreira and multidisciplinary artist Kanea Indigo the panelists will discuss how they find space for queerness within autonomous and commissioned work. They will take a closer look at series and films that made an everlasting impact on their personal lives and art.
This panel is hosted and curated by visual artist and photographer Jesse van den Berg who researches queerness with a focus on intimacy.
Artist Gyor Moore is a design activist and founder of Pride Radio. He celebrates positive change and impact through designs and experiences. Gyor’s studio helps brands to stimulate values like inclusivity, diversity and equality in their identity, strategy and products. With his designs he wants to make this world a little bit more beautiful.
Artist Giovanni Maisto Ferreira believes that consensual touch requires a vulnerable attitude, which could be the key to accessing the most authentic version of ourselves. If we lose the ability to touch, we also lose access to an important part of ourselves. This is why he/they stress the importance of artistic-social programming about touch in public spaces.
In 2020, Giovanni’s film “Touch ‘M” was released: a symbolic depiction of how non-sexual touch can be healing for aspects of toxic masculinity. “Touch ‘M” is based on his/their own experience of masculine physical connection and marked the beginning of his ongoing research into the relationship between intimacy and health. Their latest work was the exhibition ‘Touch Me, To See Us’ at MaMA, where rooms were filled with immersive installations.
Kanea Indigo is a trans, Afropean multidisciplinary artist based in The Netherlands. They directed several short films besides directing they act, model and write. Kanea’s poems got published in the Rotterdam Queer magazine KLAUW Volume 2 and they is currently working on a theatre play. Besides being in this panel, Kanea will also be the host of our Show stage!
Jesse van den Berg is an artist who researches the topic of queerness with a focus on intimacy. They look for ways to express their vision and that of collaborators through lens-based media where vulnerability and celebration play important roles. It’s crucial for Jesse to stay aware of the power a camera can hold and how this affects the interaction between ‘the model’ and ‘the maker’. They Integrate intimacy and integrity in their process of working and explores how intimacy can be translated through material and installation work. With Jesse’s practice, they create an experience of love, admiration and vulnerability
Imagery
Header: still from ‘Touch M’ by Giovanni Maisto Ferreira
Top left: Pride Traffic Light by Gyor Moore, top right: Shura | Pride Radio by Gyor Moore, middle left: still from Dey Dream by Kanea Blokland, middle right: still from ‘Touch ‘M” by Giovanni Maisto Ferreira, bottom left: still from Dey Dream by Kanea Blokland.