Faces of Antyx: Kevin
Happy Halloween-eve everybody! This week we’re super excited to have Kevin join Faces of Antyx, and we can’t wait to share a part of his story with you all.
Q: What was your experience like working with Antyx? What projects did you collaborate on with them?
A: Working with Antyx helped me find my voice as an artist. I always struggled to make art relevant to the public. Artists seemed like a class of people that many folks didn't associate with or understand. Working with Antyx, helped me bridge the understanding and bring art to everyone -- believing that the power of creating is in everyone's capability, that art can be an instrument for solving/processing difficult problems and that art is best when we understand that the relationships we are bundling in the making or viewing/witnessing of the art can be more powerful than the art itself. I experienced this first hand with my first project with Antyx, the #safeAB project, that saw students in the Gay-Straight Alliance at Forest Lawn High School come together to write and film a video campaign to promote the importance of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools and how it's not just about having GSAs, it's about creating an atmosphere of care for one another, no matter if you are from Calgary or Taber; Fort McMurray or Wetaskiwin. Seeing the students take hold of the campaign and really drive their message in the video, in media interviews and in discussions with teachers at the school, made me realize that their creative powers harnessed their ability to make real change in their community and to shine a light on their voice in the matters surrounding Gay-Straight Alliances in schools.
Q: How did you find your passions and how have you incorporated them into your art?
A: My passion is in working with the public to create a collective project that brings the community together around something impacting that community. My passion is in addressing this issue through art making, being in theatre, media or visual art. Working with Antyx made me realize that, yes, the art can be beautiful and impactful on the people that witness or view the work, but that the community that comes together to build the work can be positively impacted by building those connections within each other.
Q: What does your work aim to say?
A: That really depends on the project, however, common things I'm looking to investigate are modes of collaboration, modes of collective leadership, antifragility and embracing the unfolding process.
Q: What was the biggest opposing force that you encountered on your creative journey?
A: My biggest opposing force started when I was kicked out of my house for being queer. Ultimately, this took me to where I am now with my art making. To be as inclusive as possible in art making that through diversity, we build antifragile resilience.
Q: If you could give your younger self some words of advice, what would they be?
A: It's okay to wear many hats. You will be a bridge amongst disparate groups of people. Your role in life is to bring people together. Never think that this can't be constituted as art.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I just wrapped up a project with an adhoc group I do work for called TRAction around the commemoration of the last ice shelf in Canada, Milne Ice Shelf, that collapsed into the water this past summer. We hosted a public procession in honour of this natural element, which then culminated in a site-specific dance performance. Up next, I am working on a residency I have at Mile Zero Dance Studio in Edmonton called "Cruising at 30km per second and attempting not to crash" which looks at the queer body on this queer earth as we cruise towards the destruction of species.
Make sure to check out his Instagram, @jesuinoand to see what he’s been up to!