Conversations at the Edge

“I try to imagine a new archive…to highlight stories and bodies that have been erased.” —Maryam Tafakory

Working at the intersection of cinema and live performance, Maryam Tafakory draws on imagery from post-revolutionary Iranian cinema, personal archives, and fragmentary materials to dissect concealed acts of erasure—of bodies, intimacies, and histories.

The 2024 Jarman Award–winning artist has presented her work at the Barbican Centre (London), BOZAR (Brussels), the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (Los Angeles), among others. Her films have screened at major international festivals including the New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and have received numerous awards, including the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Tiger Short Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam.

An Evening with Maryam Tafakory
Thursday, April 16
Info + tickets at the link in bio

For her program this Thursday, February 26, Kioto Aoki will be joined by award-winning musicians Jamie Kempkers and Robbie Lynn Hunsinger, performing a live, improvisatory score alongside her films and 35mm slide performance.

Jamie Kempkers is a Chicago-based cellist whose practice centers improvisation and compositional experimentation across collaborative and solo work. Active in the city’s improvised music scene since 2001, he has worked with Tatsu Aoki, Jonathan Chen, Yoshinojo Fujima, and Dawei Wang, and is currently a member of Aoki’s MIYUMI Project and a contributor to experimental dance performances.

Robbie Lynn Hunsinger is a conservatory-trained oboist and multi-instrumentalist improviser performing on Eastern and Western reeds, whistles, and avant-fiddle. She led the Aoki–Hunsinger–Jarman Trio album and co-leads a duet recording with Tatsu Aoki. Alongside her musical practice, she works as a visual artist and creative technologist across responsive media performance, interactive installation, and intermedia composition.

Find out more at saic.edu/cate, tickets at the link in our bio.