Fall 2019 Fellow
Fellow: Walang Hiya
Project: eXuela
ABOUT
Image courtesy of Gigi Bio
from wala (without), -ng (adjectival suffix) & hiya (shame)
We are mga Walang Hiya (‘shameless’ in Tagalog), a collective of multi-disciplinary artists, storytellers, dancers, healers & shifters from Pilipinx diaspora who heal ourselves & community through art, ritual and performance that transmutes systemically imposed/internalized sexual, cultural, colonial shames into spiritual, mental, emotional, physical wellness and joy. We are inspired by colonized peoples of global diaspora who have utilized song, dance, ritual and procession to keep spirits alive throughout imperial histories of indigenous erasure.
We ask: How do we Actively Heal? How do we Purposefully Love? How do we Intentionally Be? How can we dig through the contradictions of deeply embedded histories, of violence & resilience, to imagine futures, conjure myths of haunting, scandalous & erotic joy? and how might we release this with Empathy, Honesty & Kindness? How can we create a resistance that purges our internalized shame so we can uncover soft layers of joy & magic inside us? How do we reimagine how to live a shameless life? We start together. We start here.
We propose eXuela as an educational series unlearning hiya (shame) in pilipinx culture, through movement workshops, learning gatherings & collaborative dialogues. With re-search centered in ritual, we will root foundations & explore processes for sharing creative healing practices in community. We will learn together, weaving embodied bridges across intersecting experiences of class, gender, sex, age, race, ethnicity and ability, marginalized & impacted by pilipinx ‘shame’ culture. In collaboration with collectives in pilipinx diaspora, movement building for care networks across migrant, queer, sex worker, indigenous & spiritual arts communities, eXuela is a collective learning journey to transform shame.
SHIFters:
Aurerose Piaña
Babay L. Angles (Angelica J. Tolentino)
Francis Delfin
Gigi Bio
Kimberly Galaxxxy Tate
KK de La Vida
Rhea Santos Sun Endoso
Rosie G
sára abdullah
Sade Adona
TriSiya (Trishia Frulla)