Two Artists Envision the Future by Traveling into Their Pasts

The artists Skawennati and Antonio Serna will present video series exploring their histories and heritages at TSA New York on Thursday.

TimeTraveller™ by Skawennati (courtesy the artist)” width=”720″ height=”405″ srcset=”https://hyperallergic-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/02/tsa-ny-jingle-dancers-assembled-720×405.jpeg 720w, https://hyperallergic-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/02/tsa-ny-jingle-dancers-assembled-1080×608.jpeg 1080w, https://hyperallergic-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/02/tsa-ny-jingle-dancers-assembled-360×203.jpeg 360w, https://hyperallergic-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/02/tsa-ny-jingle-dancers-assembled.jpeg 1400w” sizes=”(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px”>

Still from TimeTraveller™ (2008–13) by Skawennati (courtesy the artist)

We’re only just beginning to explore the aesthetic possibilities of time travel. Two artists at the forefront of that exploration, Skawennati and Antonio Serna, will present works that delve into their respective histories and possible futures on Thursday at TSA New York in Bushwick. As part of Serna’s ongoing solo exhibition, he invited Skawennati, a Mowhawk artist, to present a selection of episodes from her nine-part project TimeTraveller™, in which a Mowhawk from the future named Hunter travels to various times in the history of the Americas, from 1490 to 2121, to learn more about his heritage. The series, rendered in a Second Life-like virtual world, mixes history, futurism, and humor without seeming didactic.

In Serna’s own moving image series, The Same Sun/Calendar (2017), an unidentified narrator — presumably the artist — sorts through archival and found images, digital and historical maps, and various other materials as he explores both his own history as a Mexican-American, and the broad narrative arc of humanity. Vast in scope, spanning 65 million years ago to the 17th century, the series tells an individual history with universal resonances. Both artists will be on hand to discuss their videos and their interests in the possibilities of virtual archaeology, time travel, and more.

When: Thursday, February 8, 6:30–8 pm
Where: Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York (1329 Willoughby Avenue #2A, Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Antonio Serna, video still from “The Same Sun / Calendar: 245 Ma – Finger Lakes, Qal’at Al Hamra, and Crystal Palace” (2017), HD video, 3min 8sec (courtesy the artist)

More info at TSA New York.