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Friday, February 15, 2019 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 16, 2019 8:00 PM // Power Center

Past Tense
Carrie Mae Weems, director, writer, video artist

Performance
Q&A
Photo credit: Courtesy of Onassis Cultural Center
 

Acclaimed artist Carrie Mae Weems, deemed “one of the more interesting artists working in the gap between art and politics” by the New York Times, has created a new performance-based work, Past Tense. The performance takes us on a deep dive into the enduring significance of the iconic Antigone and her profound relevance to our contemporary moment, with the lens of race and its relationship to authority as a way of reinterpreting Antigone.

The origins of Past Tense lie in Weems’s powerful work Grace Notes, which was inspired by President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” in the wake of the 2015 shooting that killed nine African-American members of a church in Charleston, SC. Weems says, “While working on Grace Notes for months it occurred to me that I was telling the story of Antigone, wherein an innocent man dies by unjustified means, and his sister fights for the right to bury him honorably. But the wider community refuses her; her right to justice, and to peace, is denied.” Weems, looking for permission to “bury our brothers,” incorporates video of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Eric Garner, among others, into this work that mourns those lives of unknown potential that were ended by those who were supposed to protect them.

Free Post-Performance Q&A (Feb 15 & 16)

Where does inspiration come from? What makes an artist tick? Join us for a post-performance Q&A and get a glimpse into the lives and minds of the artists who bring creativity to the stage.  Must have a ticket to the performance to attend.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Friday, February 15, 2019 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 16, 2019 8:00 PM

Power Center

Past Tense
Carrie Mae Weems, director, writer, video artist

Performance
Q&A

Acclaimed artist Carrie Mae Weems, deemed “one of the more interesting artists working in the gap between art and politics” by the New York Times, has created a new performance-based work, Past Tense. The performance takes us on a deep dive into the enduring significance of the iconic Antigone and her profound relevance to our contemporary moment, with the lens of race and its relationship to authority as a way of reinterpreting Antigone.

The origins of Past Tense lie in Weems’s powerful work Grace Notes, which was inspired by President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” in the wake of the 2015 shooting that killed nine African-American members of a church in Charleston, SC. Weems says, “While working on Grace Notes for months it occurred to me that I was telling the story of Antigone, wherein an innocent man dies by unjustified means, and his sister fights for the right to bury him honorably. But the wider community refuses her; her right to justice, and to peace, is denied.” Weems, looking for permission to “bury our brothers,” incorporates video of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Eric Garner, among others, into this work that mourns those lives of unknown potential that were ended by those who were supposed to protect them.

Free Post-Performance Q&A (Feb 15 & 16)

Where does inspiration come from? What makes an artist tick? Join us for a post-performance Q&A and get a glimpse into the lives and minds of the artists who bring creativity to the stage.  Must have a ticket to the performance to attend.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

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