Coming up November 7th – that’s this week — The Association of Hysteric Curators (AHC) presents an evening of feminist experimental films and video art, “A Racket of Banshees.”
Comprised of a series of twenty-one short films, the program explores an array of feminist and women’s rights issues, many of which currently occupy the forefront of US national policy debates. Collectively, all of the films invite viewers to reflect upon what it means to be a woman in our contemporary society and to gain a deeper understanding of how women’s identities shape their everyday lives. This is particularly pertinent in light of the historic election taking place as I write.
Participating Artists: Attic Portrait (Michelle Tift & Sea Zeda), Melanie Elyse Brewster, A. Laura Brody, Alessia Lupo Cecchet, Ching Ching Cheng & Manyu Gao, dama (aka Amanda Maciel Antunes), Victoria Delgadillo, Diana-Sofia Estrada, Rachel Finkelstein, Malado Francine, Raghubir Kintisch, Ibuki Kuramochi, Leslie Lanxinger, Marne Lucas & Tyler Hubby, Maya Mackrandilal, Sarana Mehra, Alexandra Neuman , Snezana Saraswati Petrovic, Leah Piepgras, Mei Xian Qiu, Margie Schnibbe, Kayla Tange, Matt Odom & Caroline Yoo
Each flmmaker takes viewers into a world which critically examines feminist issues such as aging, disability, reproduction, ecofeminism, violence, politics, and self-determination. The works are presented in a range of styles from claymation and AI and utilize source material such as wildlife camera footage.
Even the title of the program is fascinating: Kiki Smith explored the concept of the banshee in her 1991 work, Banshee Pearls, in which she cast herself as a banshee in a series of 12 lithographs, surrounded by images of skulls, death masks, and other beast-like forms. As in Smith’s Banshee Pearls, each film in “A Racket of Banshees” may be viewed as a single banshee in celluloid form, who has come to us to declare all manner of deaths: that of women’s reproductive rights; the pandemic of global femicides; the death of our Mother Earth; and the ultimate demise of patriarchy.
The program was curated by the Association of Hysteric Curators collective, under the special organizational direction of member artists Margie Schnibbe, Snezana Saraswati Petrovic, and Mary Anna Pomonis. For more information about the Association of Hysteric Curators, please consult their website at: www.hystericcurators.com.