Mana Contemporary Chicago and Monira Foundation Announce August Open Book Session
The virtual discussion will be led by Matt Austin, an arts worker, bookbinder, designer and publisher passionate about building systems of care that support emerging artists.
Aug 17, 2022 · 2 Minute ReadFollowing the Summer Studio Sale earlier this month, the Mana Contemporary curation calendar continues to move full steam ahead. Using a modern approach on traditional in-person events and in partnership with the Monira Foundation, Mana Contemporary hosts monthly ‘Open Book’ discussions that the public can virtually tune into through Zoom free of charge. This month’s program will take place this Thursday, August 18th at 7:00 pm CDT, and will feature arts worker, designer, and publisher, Matt Austin.
As someone who is passionate about supporting artists facing capitalist oppression, Austin has engaged extensively over the years in this realm of work as a co-founder of LATITUDE (2012), a Chicago based multi dimensional non-profit community digital lab, founder of The Chicago Perch, an experimental forum for social exchange, founder of Candor Collective (2012-2015), along with his most recent studio project For the Birds trapped in Airports (2022).
During the virtual discussion, prepare to indulge in the deep rooted complexities that are presented in both Ka-Man Tse’s Narrow Distances and Korde Arrington Tuttle’s Falling is the One Thing I. Both pieces, published by Candor Collective, share intimate and personal accounts derived from personal human experience.
In Tse’s Narrow Distances you will find photographs with subjects and collaborators whose identities dwell between Asian Pacific Islander and LGBTQ communities.
Her monograph focuses on centralizing those who are so often marginalized and sheds light on relatable topics that sit close to her heart, similarly to Tuttle’s Falling is the One Thing I with a similar theme depicting poems and imagery surrounding institutional oppression from a black, queer, intersectional perspective.
Join the Zoom meeting below for free access to this can’t-miss Open Book event.