Latin@merica: Embedding Bodies and Localities

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Claudia arana

is an independent curator, arts administrator, and cultural connector who has instilled in her practice the construction of virtual and physical artistic platforms to promote inclusion of different cultural perspectives. She aims to include socially and politically viable artistic practices through the engagement of physical and digital spaces exploring notions of kinship, memory, radicalization and global migration. She studied Art Theory and Critical Thinking at the School of Visual Arts as well as Advanced Critique at the International Centre of Photography in New York City. Arana is the curator for the ArtworxTO Cultural Hub in Etobicoke for the 2021 Toronto’s Year of Public Art and the current Operations Manager at Sur Gallery.

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Ana María Millán

practice addresses the politics of animation in relation to digital cultures and subcultures, gender and propaganda. She has developed techniques based on role-playing and reenactment, using animation as a methodology to create a series of plays that ultimately become narrative films. It speaks from amateur cultures, pop political culture, sound territories and technology to develop flawed and dysfunctional narratives.

Alexandra Gelis

is a Colombian-Venezuelan, media artist with a background in visual arts and is currently a PhD candidate in Environmental Studies at York University. Her work predominantly involves photography, video, electronic and digital processes. Gelis’ work addresses the use of the image in relation to displacement, landscape and politics beyond borders or culturally specific subjects. She also works as an educator/facilitator, leading video and photography workshops for youth in marginalized communities in Canada, Colombia and Panama.

Santiago Tavera and Laura Acosta

Santiago Tavera constructs immersive and interactive installations that explore virtual narratives of dislocation and perception. His multimedia video compositions, 3D graphic animations, text, sound and reflective materials evoke experiences of physical, digital and queer notions of identification and representation. Tavera holds an MFA in Intermedia from Concordia University and a BA with an Honor Specialization in Visual Arts and a Major in Psychology from Western University. Tavera is currently a visiting scholar and project manager at the Elastic Spaces Multimedia lab at Concordia University.

Laura Acosta creates absurd scenes integrating improvised movement, textile structures and multimedia elements as a way to explore themes of identity and representation. Her audiovisual compositions depict objects or individuals in a process of identification, translation or adaptation in order to create ephemeral moments of displacement in public and private settings. She holds an MFA in Fibers and Material Studies from Concordia University, an interdisciplinary BFA from NSCAD University, and an advanced diploma in Fine Arts from Fanshawe College. Currently, Laura works at Concordia University as Head of Costumes in the Theatre Department.