Christine Sun Kim: Deaf Death

In this lecture-performance, artist Christine Sun Kim uses the frequent smartphone auto correction of “Deaf” to “death” as a point of departure. From this linguistic coincidence, she draws out a media study of representations of Deaf culture across film while weaving in her observations on disability signage, Deaf history, and much more. Through images, humor, and incisive commentary, Deaf Death questions what defines disability, ingrained cultural desires that visualize the elimination of Deaf culture, and how different definitions reflect fears and hopes for the future. The lecture-performance will be followed by a conversation with Alice Wong.

About the Artist

Christine Sun Kim is an American artist based in Berlin. Kim’s practice considers how sound operates in society, deconstructing the politics of sound and exploring how oral languages operate as social currency. Musical notation, written language, infographics, American Sign Language (ASL), the use of the body, and strategically deployed humor are all recurring elements in her practice. Working across drawing, performance, video, and large-scale murals, Kim explores her relationship to spoken and signed languages, to her built and social environments, and to the world at large. Kim’s work has been extensively exhibited and performed internationally. She is represented by François Ghebaly Gallery and WHITE SPACE.

Alice Wong (she/her) is a disabled activist, writer, editor, and community organizer. She is the founder of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. Alice is the editor of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, an anthology of essays by disabled people, and Disability Visibility: 17 First-Person Stories for Today, an adapted version for young adults. Her debut memoir, Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life, was published in 2022. Her latest anthology, Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire, is available now. In 2024, Alice was named a MacArthur Fellow.

Accessibility Information

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be offered at this event.

Programming for Ruth Asawa: Retrospective is made possible with support from Google.org.