FORUM: Intersection between Art and Activism

Join us on Tuesday, June 4th for FORUM: The Intersection between Art and Activism

Huq: I Seek No Favor is a powerful collection of artists, writers, and thinkers responding to the abortion ban. Bringing together artists and thinkers who believe in collective political action, the project aims to inspire people to use arts as means to social reform. In the act of defiance, it speaks back to the system which uses our bodies as a tool for our oppression and perpetuates historical inequality. Huq is an Urdu word for rights. I seek no favor originates from an Audre Lorde poem ‘a woman speaks’ The bilingual title articulates the multiple identities, cultures and diverse voices this abortion ban affects.

We’re joined by Ashima Yadava who founded the project, and Kat Contreras and Debe Arlook who have both contributed to this powerful collection.

This event will NOT be recorded nor shared online following the live virtual event. Please RSVP to be part of this important conversation.

LOCATION:This event will be hosted virtually on Zoom. A link will be emailed to you after you RSVP.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Ashima Yadava - Ashima Yadava is a conceptual documentary photographer and printmaker. With the camera as her conduit, she works on long-form stories and believes in art as a means to social activism and reform.

Born in New Delhi, Ashima lives in San Francisco, where she works in digital and analog methods including large format and silkscreen. She is currently a California Arts Council Fellow. Her work has been featured in publications including National Geographic, Mother Jones, SFChronicle, and 6MOIS and exhibited around the world including the deYoung, the United Nations in New York, RISD, ICP - NY, Technische Dresden, NIDA Festival Lithuania among others. She is also a Director’s Fellow from the ICP, New York. She is the founder of Huq: I Seek No Favor.

Kat Contreras - Kat Contreras (they/them) is a visual artist based in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience as a photographer and digital media producer for personal brands, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Their journey as an Afro-Latinx queer immigrant from the Dominican Republic, shaped by their upbringing in Miami, fuels the inspiration behind their work. Their editorial and fashion photography has been featured in publications such as Time, The Advocate, Billboard, and Essence, among others. Outside of work, Kat is actively involved with Authority Collective and Las Fotos Project. They love their dog, Chance, and are open to new collaborative projects.

Debe Arlook -Debe Arlook is a photographic artist working in traditional, mixed-media, and photo-based mediums. Her landscape, conceptual, and documentary projects support her ongoing inquiry into energetic interconnections between the physical world and the field of consciousness. Arlook's work is widely published and exhibited globally. Recent awards include FRESH 2024, FOCUS Photo L.A., 2023; Critical Mass Top 50, 2022; CENTER Social Award Honorable Mention, 2022; and LensCulture Summer Open Award, 2022. Based in Santa Monica, California, she is a contributing editor for PhotoBook Journal, teacher, mentor, and printer for fine art photographers. Her book, ‘Both Sides of the Table: Photography Portfolio Reviews Do’s & Don’ts,’ will be released this summer. Arlook has been an Advisor with Pasadena Photography Arts since 2020.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 4th, 5:30pm PST

FOR MORE INFO:

www.pasadenaphotographyarts.org

Sponsored and produced by PasadenaPhotographyArts. A project of Fulcrum Arts / EMERGE Program.