Part critical analysis, part reflective essay and sprinkled throughout with humor, justified anger, and informative morsels, this illustrated presentation examines over 50 years of American science fiction cinema through the lens of Asian appropriation and whitewashing.
Collage of the Philippine salakót (roughly translates from Tagalog to “native helmet”); how it was worn by Filipinos and Spaniards in the occupying Spanish army; then adapted into the pith helmet, since deployed by every white colonial power.
Visual essay and collage on the history and (sci-fi) future of the ancient Asian technology, the conical hat.
Billboard created for For Freedoms by Stop DiscriminAsian, on view in Los Angeles.
“Astria Suparak’s ‘Virtually Asian’ […] well worth checking out.”
“Countering invisibility is at the heart of a short film by Astria Suparak titled ‘Virtually Asian.’ It splices together scenes from science fiction movies in which urban landscapes are filled with stereotypical ‘Asian’ signifiers, but the actual characters are almost exclusively white.”
“Particularly prevalent are the Asian hologram advertisements that apparently occupy every cityscape in the future, from Blade Runner (1982) to A.I. (2001) to Minority Report (2002), and do we even need to start in on Ghost in the Shell (2017)?”
“Suparak’s piece is immediate and her voice, narrating the words, is melodic and compelling. The over-dubbing of her acerbic observations on blockbuster films is a compelling prelude to other iterations of her work that will appear in fragments across digital platforms.”
Short video essay that looks at how white science fiction filmmakers fill the backgrounds of their futuristic worlds with hollow Asian figures—in the form of video and holographic advertisements—while the main cast (if not the entirety of their fictional universe’s population) is devoid of actual Asian people.
“This is a pretty interesting experiment in real-time […] It’s heartening to see such a keen and engaged audience. Lee, Suparak, and Delos Reyes have set up a really successful platform for exchange.” – Hyperallergic
Series of projects, presentations, and texts on how white filmmakers envision futures inflected by Asian culture, but devoid of actual Asian people. A visual analysis of 50+ years of American science fiction cinema.
A giant playground for the feral parrots that live in cities.
A history of the team and how it intertwines with civic issues, particularly: gun laws and violence, business and labor, real estate and gentrification, race, and class.
“Artists and curators program soccer-related art for gallery spaces—and kick around ideas about politics and power in the process”
A playlist of official and adopted team theme songs, rapping by professional athletes, music made for sports films, and sports-themed pop songs from the past six decades. Musical styles range from choral groups with orchestras, rousing anthems, and advertising jingles, to disco, soul, rock, hip hop, pop, and R&B.
A cross-sectional overview of the various ways that sports have been treated in artists’ film and video, experimental documentary, and media-based installation throughout history.
This year-long series of art exhibitions, film programs, discussions, commissioned projects, and other events took place in galleries, cinemas, sports bars, bookstores, and on rooftops from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
The first volume of its kind, this double issue examines the intersections of sports, performance, popular culture, and experimental media. Features 41 contributors including artists, writers, critics, scholars, historians, and athletes.
Custom-made, embroidered sweatband to wear to any sport event! Or while sporting. Or as a conversation starter in a non-sports setting.
An illustrated experimental essay on authenticity, postmemory, appropriation, and racial and ethnic identity (and recent cases in the art world and beyond). KQED described the commissioned chapbook as “finely wrought words.” On view at SFMOMA through Summer 2020.
Astria Suparak 