Here's what you can expect at this week’s CRITICA art festival
Photographs: courtesy CRITICA
At CRITICA, it’s okay to be different. This five-day art festival aims to celebrate diversity and promote social inclusion at various locations around town. With more than 30 artists offering art exhibitions, poetry performances, panel discussions and more, all touching on topics like language, gender, sexuality and disability, CRITICA invites participants to think about how art promotes acceptance and inclusivity.
While some of the events are free, RSVP is highly recommended. Extract the QR code below for the detailed programme and registration.
Opening Exhibitions & Poetry
CRITICA starts things off with an art exhibition that celebrates the differences of language, gender and more, featuring Luke Gray, an illustrator whose work deals with the South African click language Xhosa, and Eleanor Moseman, who focuses on women in western China. Their exhibits will be followed by several poets performing in different languages.
📍H27, No 201, 27 Hengshan Lu, near Wulumuqi Nan Lu. Wed 29. 7-10pm. Free entry. RSVP required.
Queer Queries: Gender Identity & Drag Workshop
This free drag workshop is open to anyone interested in exploring gender performativity. A live documentary will be made over the course of the workshop, which is bound to be chock full of discussions on gender and its different expressions.
📍MusicLAB, Room 102, Bldg 8, 31 Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, near Changle Lu. Fri 31. 8-11.30pm. Free entry. RSVP required.
Workshops & Film Screenings
Saturday’s where all the action happens, with a total of five workshops and several film screenings. Workshops range from sound healing to acting classes to representation through illustration and more (including a storytelling class organised by Unravel), while the film screenings explore topics such as women in cinema and documentaries on disability.
📍1900 LOFT, 465 Dingxi Lu, near Xinhua Lu. Sat 1 Jun. 11am-5pm. 80RMB (per workshop).
Film Competition
CRITICA closes with a short film competition focusing on social inclusion – the winner takes home 70 percent of the ticket sales. The films cover strikingly different subjects: ageing and homosexuality, unattainable love and sexual violence, just to name a few.
📍 The Pearl, 471 Zhapu Lu, near Wujin Lu. Sun 2 Jun. 2-6pm. 50RMB.