Queer New York International Arts Festival Runs Now thru 6/15

Queer New York International Arts Festival (QNYI) is a new festival of contemporary performance and visual art that explores and broadens the concept of "queer (in) art." Co-curated by Zvonimir Dobrovi, artistic director of Queer Zagreb and the Perforations Festival in Croatia, and art historian and independent curator André von Ah, the festival aims to dispel preconceived and stereotyped notions of "queer," and provides a platform for expanding the discourse about artistic practices. The festival is presented in partnership with the Abrons Arts Center - QNYI's hub, with additional events presented at The Invisible Dog Art Center and The Impossible Project.

QNYI will include a series of discussions and public programs organized by Andy Horwitz and Jeremy M. Barker of Culturebot.org, and OUT magazine's editor-in-chief, AaRon Hicklin. Dates and locations for these events will be posted on QNYI's website: www.queerny.org. QNYI coincides with LaMaMa's presentation of queer art during its 50th anniversary season.

FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE:

Tadasu Takamine: Kimura-san

06/07/12 - 06/10/12

Mr. Kimura was a victim of the Morinaga arsenic milk poisoning who lost complete use of his arms, legs, and mouth. Takamine was Kimura's caretaker for five years, and filmed himself caring for Kimura, including aiding in the satisfaction of his sexual needs.

Ricci / Forte: Macadamia Nut Brittle

06/07/12 - 06/08/12

A play, based on text by Dennis Cooper, that frames four performers in a desperate waiting game.

David Wampach: Auto / Batterie

06/09/12 - 06/10/12

With these works, the artist exposes and exploits the relationship between dance and music that, according to the artist, too often gets left on automatic pilot.

Biljana Kosmogina: P Campaign

06/11/12

An imaginative political parody about the presidential candidacy of "Vagina" (popularly known as Pi?ka) who enters the election race to solve the state crisis, with a firm belief and promise that Serbia will finally fulfill its planned goals.

Marlene Monteiro Freitas: Guintche

06/11/12

Guintche is based on a drawing by Freitas that came to life through a real-life encounter and grew in her imagination over time.

Željko Zorica: KroaTisch-Amerikanische Freundschaft

06/11/12

An audio-video-edible installation organized and presented alongside a controlled happening. The happening follows welcome speeches and explanations of a game that precedes the gastronomic pleasures offered to the audience by the artist.

Igor Josifov: 2-Dimensional

06/12/12 - 06/14/12

A performance installation that explores the delicate relationship between the artist and the viewer. Lying underneath a plexiglass structure, Josifov invites the audience to walk over him.

Silvia Costa / Plumes dans la tête: La Quiescenza del seme

06/12/12 - 06/14/12

A work that focuses on the moments that precede birth, and the preparation and waiting that charges every birth with physiological and ideological meaning.

François Chaignaud & Cecilia Bengolea: Paquerette

06/14/12 - 06/15/12

Paquerette deals with penetration as a (choreo)graphic and dance moment. Moving beyond the idea of penetration as a form of interaction or source of sexual pleasure, the dance uses penetration to create a new set of restrictions and liberties imposed upon the body.