Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2021, Blaðsíða 11

Feminist Queer
Insect AI Fantasies
Seriously, just !o see ‘Yes, a fallin! tree makes a sound
(and it has a lot to say)’
The idea of science fiction as a tool
for social progression isn’t a new one.
For what did ‘Frankenstein’ do if not
criticise the needless discrimination
and unbridled hubris of mankind? The
art of science fiction has oft been a pro-
gressive one, with creators imagining
a new reality, often a more egalitarian
one, and sharing that vision with the
world.
Curated by Helena A!alsteinsdóttir,
Kling & Bang’s new exhibition ‘Yes, a
falling tree makes a sound (and it has
a lot to say)’ takes this concept into ev-
ery conceivable lightyear, presenting
a series of works inspired by feminist
science fiction. Artists showcase rei-
magined futures, rewrite patriarchal
narratives and offer artistic recentrali-
sations of marginalised identities.
Goodbye CEOs, hello aliens
French-Arab artist and poet Tarek
Lakhrissi will present his first short
sci-fi film, which is entitled ‘Out of the
Blue’ at the exhibition.
“The starting point was to imagine
a world where queer people of colour
were at the centre,” Tarek told the
Grapevine—digitally, as is the custom
in these times. “From there, I imag-
ined this whole scenario where aliens
are kidnapping all the big CEOs in the
world. I like thinking about sci-fi as a
place for fantasy, but also queer fabula-
tion, radical imagination and humour.”
Tarek’s fascination with fantasy
came from horror books and shows
when he was a teenager, like ‘Buffy
the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Charmed’ and
‘X-Men’. “I was deeply touched by the
connection and disconnection between
the real world and futurist and super-
natural worlds,” he continues. He later
began to consume authors like Ursula
Le Guin, Samuel Delany and the phi-
losopher José Esteban Munoz, which
sparked his future obsession with lan-
guage.
“Language is a powerful and politi-
cal tool,” he explains. “As a French Arab
who grew up in a working-class family,
I find power and freedom in the articu-
lation of language, feelings, theory and
community-building. Creating new
narratives is, of course, a political act:
I want to be seen, heard and I want to
define myself with my own words.”
Welcome the insects!
For D"rfinna Benita Basalan, the
exhibition was also a chance to define
herself. But moreover, it was a chance
to redefine herself and put her tri-
umphs and traumas into a new light—
or a new being.
“I started thinking about the gen-
dering of things, like the spear and
penetration, and from there I started
to think about insects,” D"rfinna says.
“The spider has always been this femi-
nine creature. Like when you think
about the Black Widow, you think of
a female who has sex with a male and
then kills it.”
This led D"rfinna to re-evaluate her
own personal relationship with insects,
which has always walked the line be-
tween friends and enemies. “I used
to give spiders names and carry them
around like friends,” she says, laugh-
ing. “But then, I have also been eaten
alive from the inside by worms. I had
parasites and I was hospitalised.”
To actualise this dichotomy, D"r-
finna’s been welding her own spider
web as well as small sculptures and
drawings that will, as she emphasises,
“infest” the rest of the gallery space.
“Infestation is a very vague word, it
just means everywhere,” she concludes.
“It’s been really intuitive.” ”
Bread & porn
Intuitivity was also the base for Bro-
kat Films’ contribution. The duo be-
hind it—Sasa Lubi#ska and Joanna
Paw$owska—will exhibit a video art
piece, an installation and a video game.
Brokat’s game is a choose-your-
own-adventure enterprise. “Joanna did
the script. You know those games with
the flat characters on a flat background
with text?” Sasa asks. “It’s used mostly
for romance games.” She laughs. “There
was only one game of this genre that I
played and it was gay porn.”
Joanna smiles. “I remember playing
those games in Poland as a teenager. It
was the time in my life when my sexu-
ality started to blossom, so it was very
exciting,” she explains. “We're return-
ing to that time. It’s putting characters
in these everyday situations—they go
to the bakery to buy bread, to a party,
from planet to planet and then meet
aliens. You know, life as it is.”
“Brokat is just expressing ourselves,”
Joanna concludes. “So the exhibition
clicked very well because Brokat films
is, at its core, our own planet, our own
space—a safe space—where we can be
who we are and enjoy it fully.”
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Feature photo:
Art Bicnick
CULTURE
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D!rfinna Benita Basalan, Reykjavík's resident SpiderWoman
Info
'Yes, a falling tree
makes a sound
(and it has a lot
to say)’ will be at
Kling & Bang from
March 27th to May
9th.
LOL: Loft Out Loud
Lofty Ambitions Comedy Night
March 18th & April 1st - 20:00 - Loft
Hostel - Free!
Finally, a new comedy night! Yipee!
While 2020 had us dying for laughter
(and a vaccine), 2021 is here with
some actual giggles (and vaccines).
Anyway, this twice-a-month comedy
series will feature a rotating roster
of comedians trying out some
longer material for upcoming solo
shows. There are limited seats, so
make sure to show up early. HJC
We <3 Piano Sadboys
Magnús Jóhann Release Concert
March 12th - 20:30 - Harpa - 3,900 ISK
‘Without Listening’ by Magnús
Jóhann was one of those
constantly-on-repeat-at-the-
Grapevine-office albums in 2020.
Meandering through a murky area
between post-classical,
improvisational jazz and dark
electronica, you could perhaps call
his effort “genre-fluid.” Magnús has
a deft understanding of sound,
transitions and how you can meld
them together into endless forms.
Now he’s finally here with his
long-awaited release concert, and
so are we. HJC
Ich Bin Ein Film-iner
German Film Days
March 12th-21st - Bíó Paradís
Bíó Paradís in collaboration with
the Goethe-Institut Dänemark and
the German Embassy in Iceland is
back with German Film Days. The
lineup of the festival is spectacular,
but we’re particularly excited to
see ‘Futur Drei’ (‘No Hard Feelings’),
a story about a young German/
Iranian queer who falls in love with
a refugee. We’d also recommend
‘Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl’,
(‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’),
which describes author Judith
Kerr's family's escape from the
Nazis. This might be a particularly
nice film to see considering
Yom HaShoah (the holocaust
remembrance day) starts on April
7th this year. HJC
Brokat Films, probably talking about Raëlism
Tarek Lakhrissi's 'Out of the Blue'.
Courtesy of the artist and VITRINE London/Basel.