Gyuri Cloe Lee, still from “National Gymnastics” (2017) (image courtesy Association of Hysteric Curators)
It’s a disappointing, but not surprising, reality that the field of animation — like the related fields of tech, art, and cinema — are largely dominated by men, despite the fact that the majority of animation students are women. To highlight the work of female and feminist-identified animators, the Association of Hysteric Curators has organized the Soft Bytes animation festival, featuring the work of dozens of artists.
According to event organizer Eugenia Barbuc, the AHC was “inspired by [cyberfeminist media arts collective] VNS Matrix, Saturday morning cartoons and radically inclusive feminist spaces like Micol Hebron’s Situation Room.” The aim, according to Barbuc, is to take an intersectional approach with a diversity of voices. To this end, the festival put out an open call for work by feminist-identified artists, specifying a “one-minute format to democratize the medium,” Barbuc said. Alongside these submissions, Soft Bytes will include work from ECF Art Centers and Creative Growth, organizations that serve children and adults with special needs and developmental disabilities. The festival has also curated an installation by the Feminist Pornographic Collective Consciousness, which will feature an augmented reality zine that explores sexuality through an intersectional lens focusing on people of color, the LGBTQAI community, and those with disabilities.
When: Saturday, May 19, 7:30pm
Where: Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Bendix Building, 1206 Maple Avenue, #523, Dowtown, Los Angeles)
More info at Association of Hysteric Curators.
