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Carlos Motta, Narrative Shifter: A Portrait of Julio Salgado, 2019; commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for the exhibition SOFT POWER; image: Johnna Arnold
Symposium, Talks

Bodies at the Borders, Day 2

Saturday, January 25, 2020

9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Floor 1, Phyllis Wattis Theater, SFMOMA

Free and open to the public; No museum admission required.

This two-day symposium addresses the politics of borders as they intersect with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, and race. Featuring film screenings, poetry readings, performances, and panel discussions, the symposium accompanies installations by artist Carlos Motta on view at UC Santa Cruz and at SFMOMA, the latter as part of the exhibition SOFT POWER.

Motta’s works on display in the two venues focus on historical and present-day migrations and powerfully engage the production and management of borders. This symposium, produced by Motta in collaboration with Rachel Nelson, interim director of the Institute of Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, brings together artists, activists, and scholars to further examine the pressing issues of identities, borders, and boundaries.

Schedule, Day 2

9:30–10 a.m. | Coffee and pastries

10–10:15 a.m. | Introduction

Eungie Joo, curator of contemporary art, SFMOMA

10:15–10:30 a.m. | Opening Remarks

Carlos Motta, artist

10:30–11:30 a.m. | Keynote

Julio Salgado, artist

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m | Panel 3

Sexuality, Migration, and the U.S./Mexico Border
Moderated by Karma Chávez, scholar, activist, and associate professor of Mexican American and Latina/o studies, University of Texas, Austin

Panelists:
Karolina López, trans activist, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Mariposas Sin Fronteras
Yosimar Reyes, poet and activist
Jackie Vimo, scholar, policy analyst for the National Immigration Law Center (NILC)

1–2:30 p.m. | Break

2:30–3:30 p.m. | Performance

ALOK, writer and performance artist

3:30-5 p.m. | Panel 4

LGBTQIA+ Refugees in Crisis
Moderated by Maya Mikdashi, assistant professor of women and gender studies and Middle Eastern studies, Rutgers

Panelists:
Razan AlSalah, filmmaker, media artist
Sima Shakhsari, assistant professor of gender, women, and sexuality studies, University of Minnesota
Sherene Razack, distinguished professor of women and gender studies, UCLA