Southern Exposure presents new moving image work by Bay Area BIPOC artists juried by Dessane Lopez Cassell, independent curator and writer, chair of the experimental film subcommittee for BlackStar Film Festival, and Editor of Reviews at Hyperallergic.

Ways of Being Free gathers moving image works that push and pull at the primacy of individualism. An ideal that often leaves little room for nuance, individualism above all else frequently exists in conflict with modes of living and being that emphasize negotiation and collectivity, or wielding power in more subtle ways. The films and videos assembled in this program muse on obligation and agency, will and submission, to complicate traditionally Western notions of independence and what it means to be free/unfree.

Stream the videos at waysofbeingfree.org. Online screening has been extended through the end of March. 

Now in its 29th year, the Juried Exhibition is a longstanding tradition that exemplifies Southern Exposure’s mission and our commitment to supporting new, innovative, risk-taking contemporary visual art practices.

Videos include:
Roberto Fatal, Fluid Bound
Sabina Kariat, Looking Back
Devon Lodge, BeGoodToYourMom
Maria Clara Merçon Nevôa, o mar me lembra você (the sea reminds me of you)
Guo Mong, What if
Gazelle Samizay, Khat-e Penhun/Hidden Line
Joshua Solis, En la tierra de los sueños | In The Land Of The Dreams
Wei Keong Tan, Kingdom
Gwen Thompson, The Divergent Woman (an experimental video considering compulsory heterosexuality & the _______ experience)
Katherine Tolentino, Parachute
Essi Westerman, Inheritance
Justine Xi, Are You Looking for Sexy Asian Women?

Generous support for Ways of Being Free is provided by Dropbox. 

About the Juror:
Dessane Lopez Cassell is a curator, writer, and editor based in New York. Her film curation and writing generally focus on artist’s moving image, documentary, and experimental film practices concerned with race, gender, and representation. Cassell has organized curatorial projects and screenings for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), MoMA Film, and Flaherty NYC, among others, and her writing has been published in catalogues issued by the Whitney Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and MoMA. Currently, Cassell chairs the experimental film subcommittee for BlackStar Film Festival and serves as Editor of Reviews at Hyperallergic.