Up close. Seminar on Looking and Postcolonial Representation in the Moving Image

We cordially invite you to an all-day seminar on the theory of moving image and postcolonial identity and representation, which will be held in Zachęta — National Gallery of Art on October 11 this year as part of the program accompanying the exhibition “In the Footsteps of the White Tiger” by João Maria Gusmão.

The main area of joint reflection will be the texts of the American filmmaker, theorist and writer of Vietnamese origin Trinh T. Minh-Ha, who in her works develops, among other things, the concept of speaking nearby as an alternative to the practices of imposing, speaking for or for, exotification and orientalization - whether in anthropological or film practices, close by intertwined from the very beginning of documentary, ethnographic and observational film. By creating from within, Minh-ha also encourages not to conform to the eternally external paradigms of identity, origin and belonging, and to remove the observer. We also compare the writer's texts with excerpts from Édouard Glissant's essays and the texts and films of the Otolith Group.

The seminar will be conducted by Weronika Zalewska, an interdisciplinary artist, poet and educator, who together with Karolina Breguła creates the Social Film Studio at the Academy of Arts in Szczecin. The event is aimed especially at students and people interested in humanities and artistic research. To apply for the seminar, please fill out the form below along with a brief justification of your desire to attend.