Behind the Closed Door: Intimacy, Collaboration, and Access

We welcome back Arshia Haq, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Latipa, and Mario Ybarra Jr. to the table. In the second part of their discussion, the artists delve more deeply into the importance of both intimacy AND engagement. They talk about how to theorize, act, and create from a place of intimacy—whether it be the nightclub or grandmother’s pillowcase. 

Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, coming from AIDS activism and Act Up, talks about the nightclub, and how it can be, he says, “a very intimate, personal space where many people don't even get to be themselves until they arrive at that sacred space." Arshia Haq highlights the club space as a place of collectivity and talks about “using it for creative expression, and for organizing.” She addresses the paradox of artists of color being exploited as they gain more visibility and suggests “choosing to be silent” can be “a form of reclaiming power.” 

The group talks about protecting themselves from the exhaustion of explaining everything—there’s a difference between explaining and sharing.  And they talk about the importance of bearing witness and listening when collaborating.

This episode was recorded in December 2019, before the global pandemic and uprisings for racial justice. But the values and concerns at the core of this conversation and these artists's work now seems all the more relevant and urgent.

Please note: the artist Latipa was previously known as Michelle Dizon, and in this episode, she refers to herself as Michelle.