Astria Suparak
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Astria Suparak is an American artist, writer, and curator based in Oakland, California, known for her cross-disciplinary projects that address urgent political and cultural issues such as institutionalized racism, feminism, and colonialism through the lens of popular culture. Her work often takes the form of multimedia presentations, exhibitions, and publicly accessible tools and databases that document subcultures and perspectives omitted from mainstream narratives. Suparak’s projects have been exhibited at prominent institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, and the Walker Art Center, and she has curated for the
Liverpool Biennial Liverpool Biennial is the largest international contemporary art festival in the United Kingdom. Since its launch in 1998, Liverpool Biennial has commissioned over 380 new artworks and presented work by over 530 artists from around the world. ...
, Museo Tamayo in Mexico City,
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, Eyebeam,
The Kitchen A kitchen is a room used for the preparation of food. Kitchen, or The Kitchen, may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Kitchen'' (1966 film), an American film * ''Kitchen'' (1997 film), a Hong Kong film * ''The Kitchen'' (1961 film ...
, PS1, and Expo Chicago, as well as unconventional spaces like roller-skating rinks and sports bars. One of her most notable recent works is “Asian Futures, Without Asians”, a multimedia research project and performance lecture series that critiques the appropriation and misrepresentation of Asian cultures in American science fiction cinema over the last 50 years. This work examines the paradox of Asian-inspired aesthetics being utilized in futuristic narratives devoid of Asian people, highlighting films such as ''Blade Runner'', ''Star Trek'', and the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The project has been critically acclaimed and presented at venues including the Museum of Modern Art, the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, and the ICA LA. Suparak has also explored themes like sports fandom as cultural production in “Whatever It Takes: Steelers Fan Collections, Rituals, and Obsessions”, and feminist punk movements in “Alien She,” a traveling exhibition co-curated with Ceci Moss, which examined the impact of the Riot Grrrl movement. Her work has been featured in publications like ''Artforum'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The Los Angeles Times'', and she was awarded the 2022 San Francisco Bay Area Artadia Award. Previously, Suparak served as the director and curator of the Warehouse Gallery (
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
) from 2006 to 2007 and the Pratt Film Series (
Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
) from 1998 to 2000. Suparak was the director of
Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...
, and has taught at the California College of the Arts, and University of San Francisco.


Selected works


Asian futures, without Asian (2020 - Current)

Asian futures, without Asians is a series of new multimedia presentation by Suparak, which asks: “What does it mean when so many white filmmakers envision futures inflected by Asian culture, but devoid of actual Asian people?” The work is a one-hour long illustrated lecture that examines nearly 50 years of American science fiction cinema through the lens of Asian appropriation and whitewashing. The research-creation project examines how Asian cultures have been mixed and matched to create an interchangeable “Asian-ness” within futuristic sci-fi. The performance lecture is includes images from dozens of futuristic movies and TV shows where she discusses the implications of not only borrowing heavily from Asian cultures, but at the same time decontextualizing and misrepresenting them. Her work also address the exclusion of Asian bodies in the imagination of high tech futures with Asian characteristics and architecture. She explores themes such as Anglicized names, chopsticks, bastardization of traditional garments and head gears or hair styles and usage of Asian inspired architectures and interior spaces. Some films that Suparak criticizes in the work includes ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...
'', ''
Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...
'', ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''
Soylent Green ''Soylent Green'' is a 1973 American dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on the 1966 science-fiction nove ...
'', '' Logan’s Run'', and the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' franchise. The work has been presented at
MoMa The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
, Jacob Lawrence Gallery (
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
), The Wattis Institute (San Francisco) (presented with the launch of the publication, ''Why are they so afraid of the lotus?'' ISBN 978-3-95679-569-5, ICA LA (Los Angeles) (co-presented by GYOPO), Bard College (Annandale-On-Hudson, NY), George Mason University (Fairfax, VA), Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Vancouver, BC) and Spike Island,Reed College (Portland, OR)


Other projects

* "
Alien She ''Pussy Whipped'' is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was released on Kill Rock Stars on October 26, 1993. Critical reception David Browne of ''Entertainment Weekly'' called ''Pussy Whipped'' "the first great ...
," A major exhibition examining the lasting impact of the
Riot Grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. A subcultural movement ...
movement on contemporary artists and cultural producers, curated by Suparak and
Ceci Moss Ceci () is an Italian surname that literally means "chickpeas". It may also be a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Cody Ceci (born 1993), Canadian ice hockey player *Parri Ceci (born 1961), former Canadian football player * ...
. *
Whatever It Takes: Steelers Fan Collections, Rituals, and Obsessions
: Suparak and artist Jon Rubin curated the first exhibition that explored sports fan culture, based on the Pittsburgh football team, The
Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steeler ...
. *
Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men
: This was the first solo exhibition and retrospective of
The Yes Men The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos. Through various actions, the Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about problematic social and political issues. To date, t ...
. * "Some Kind of Loving": This was a curated video compilation produced by Joanie 4 Jackie, a movie distribution project produced by artist
Miranda July Miranda July (born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger; February 15, 1974) is an American film director, screenwriter, actress and author. Her body of work includes film, fiction, monologue, digital presentations and live performance art. She wrote, di ...
, in 2000.


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suparak, Astria American curators American women curators Living people Artists from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women