The ‘odds against tomorrow’ reading group series

at east contemporary (Milan).

‘Odds against tomorrow’ is the curatorial concept underlying the first exhibition programme at east contemporary for the year 2020-2021. Each show is coupled with a reading group, curated by Claudia Contu, that aims at giving the public an opportunity to meet and discuss about the themes/subjects found in the exhibitions.

More details in the individual reading group descriptions.

graphic of the event 'that thingy'!? On being trnascorporeal bodies in the digital age curated by Claudia Contu

Reading group #2: That thingy!? – On being transcorporeal in the digital age

08.04.2021, 2PM CET – Zoom

Special guest: Angiet Chen aka Theodor Ussay (they/them). Angiet is a former architect and an artist-director currently working on their ‘Queer Kidneys’ series, a cinematographic piece on the threshold ecologies alongside the Jingmei River banks in Taipei, Taiwan. They practice storytelling and placemaking to address bodies of trauma, the structures of collectives, and the environmental entanglements between the two. They use VR, 3D and blockchain technologies as mediums. Their works take the shape of immersive experiences, indie-games, videos & films as well as curatorial programmes and workshops. Angiet holds an MRes degree in Fine Arts and Humanities at the Royal College of Art in London.

Reading group #1: Zombies at the speed of light – On time, (dead) matter and collective consciousness

26.01.2021, 5PM CET – Zoom

Special guest: Pablo Luis Álvarez (he/him) is a historian and curator whose specialism is curatorial history. In particular, he is looking at conversational practices and platforms that use speaking as a medium in order to understand how curatorial discourse has taken place. He started his PHD at RCA in 2019, where he is also a visiting lecturer, upon receiving a LAHP full award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He has collaborated with a number of institutions, projects and publications (Nottingham Contemporary, Gasworks, Concreta, Casa de Velázquez). His first curatorial project was the exhibition and seminar ‘Adventus’ (ATM, 2017), which tried to speculate on how the end of times came to be perceived after the 2007-8 financial crisis.

More info here.