UNBOUND

Ep. 6: Empowering Voices! From Self-Defense to Self-Representation—with Tarek Lakhrissi and mandla

In this final episode of UNBOUND, the focus is on a younger generation of artists who are redefining the medium by moving away from traditional concepts of performance, representation, and subversion. Still invested in the critical and political potentials of performance, these artists differ from previous generations in that they relate to larger structural inequalities through autobiographical narratives or personal anecdotes. By explicitly invoking their lived experience, they bring emotion, vulnerability, but also playfulness into the work. The episode features artists Tarek Lakhrissi and mandla, whose pieces, showcased in the exhibition Unbound: Performance as Rupture, exemplify this contemporary approach to performance. Episode 6 concludes with a statement by co-hosts Line Ajan and Lisa Long, in which they reflect on the inspiring conversations that form the series, reminding producers and listeners alike that art is a catalyst for change, a source of agency not just for creators but also for the audience to engage with and transform. Speakers: Tarek Lakhrissi, mandla Hosts: Line Ajan and Lisa Long

Ep. 5: The Subversive Potential of Performance—with Greg de Cuir Jr., Ulysses Jenkins, and Salim Bayri.

Scholar Greg de Cuir Jr. and artist Ulysses Jenkins takecenter stage in this episode of UNBOUND, celebrating Black identity while challenging racist stereotypes. Their contributions reveal how performance and video can expose and subvert media-driven, discriminatory images of Black people and culture. Known for calling early video an “anti-medium,” Jenkins harnessed its power to resist and reimagine dominant narratives with humor and playfulness. Art and film historian Greg de Cuir Jr. explores Jenkins's impact within Black cultural production, and the episode expands into a broader conversation about humor, risk, and performance with artist Salim Bayri, touching on the works of artist Pope.L also featured in the exhibition "Unbound: Performance as Rupture". Speakers: Salim Bayri, Greg de Cuir Jr., Ulysses Jenkins Hosts: Line Ajan and Lisa Long

Ep. 4: Reframing History: Black Perspectives on the Origins of Performance Art—with Uri McMillan, Howardena Pindell, Greg de Cuir Jr., and Nao Bustamante

This episode of UNBOUND reexamines the origins of performance art through Black perspectives, featuring scholars Uri McMillan and Greg de Cuir Jr. and artist Howardena Pindell. We explore how performance and video art have shaped concepts of Blackness, and vice-versa, focusing on the liberating use of alter-egos and avatars. McMillan’s concept of “objecthood” reveals how Black artists have strategically embodied fictional personas to critique, and at times evade, systemic racism and patriarchal structures. These contemporary practices are then contextualized within a longer, alternative lineage of performance art, one that reckons with the violent history of slavery in nineteenth and twentieth century America. Artists Nao Bustamante and Howardena Pindell are also featured in this episode, each highlighting how shapeshifting practices and camp aesthetics can challenge racist and sexist Eurocentric narratives.   Speakers: Nao Bustamante, Greg de Cuir Jr., Uri McMillan, Howardena Pindell Hosts: Line Ajan and Lisa Long

Ep. 3: Are We Performing Everyday Life? Images of Protest and Performance in the Digital Age—with Stanya Kahn, Fritjof Mangerich, and Mona Varichon

This episode of UNBOUND explores the intersections of protest, performance, and digital culture with Los Angeles-based artist and filmmaker Stanya Kahn. We focus on her decade-spanning video work Stand in the Stream (2011-2017), an “ambient digital film” that fuses personal and political narratives. Centering her unique approach to performance and filmmaking, this episode not only highlights Kahn’s artistic practice but also raises broader questions about art’s role in responding to personal, societal, and political moments of rupture. The generational transmission of artistic and political struggles, a central issue in Kahn’s work, is also present in this episode through the comments of two younger artists, Fritjof Mangerich and Mona Varichon, who each give us their take on Stand in the Stream.     Speakers: Stanya Kahn, Fritjof Mangerich, Mona Varichon Hosts: Line Ajan and Lisa Long

Ep. 2: Performance as Rupture: How Politics Take Place Through Culture—with Amelia Jones and Nao Bustamante

This episode of UNBOUND examines the political implications of performance art with Amelia Jones, a leading scholar in performance and gender studies. Jones discusses how performance serves as a powerful tool for critique and disruption, particularly from a feminist perspective. Listeners are invited to reflect on key questions: How does performance expose power structures linked to identity? Can it transcend simple representation to drive societal change? And why has it remained difficult to integrate into traditional art history? Speakers: Nao Bustamante, Amelia Jones, Stanya Kahn Hosts: Line Ajan and Lisa Long