UCF will host two events featuring acclaimed performing artist Shaun El C. Leonardo .
Leonardo is an American artist, and performer best known for his work exploring the relationships between masculinity, sports, race and culture. He works in a variety of mediums including drawing, painting and performance. Through his artistic practice, he interrogates “hyper-masculine figures” ranging from athletes to superheroes and explores the influence they have on shaping ideas of manhood.
The events are presented by the UCF Women’s and Gender Studies program with support from the Burnett Honors College, History department, Philosophy department, Office of Social Justice & Advocacy, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Sociology department, and School of Visual Arts & Design.
Wednesday, October 11: Shaun Leonardo Artist Talk
6 p.m. in the John C. Hitt Library, Room 223
Visiting artist Shaun Leonardo will discuss his multi-disciplinary work, which negotiates societal expectations of masculinity, along with its notions of achievement, collective identity, and the experience of failure. The artist will describe his investment in performance as a process of embodiment—exploring the translation of memory and trauma onto other bodies or scenes. More information about the artist can be found on his website at elcleonardo.com.
Thursday, October 12: Morror/Echo/Tilt
6 p.m. in the Barbara Ying Center
Mirror/Echo/Tilt is a collaborative performance involving people who are court-involved, formerly incarcerated, or otherwise affected by the criminal justice system. The project reframes narratives surrounding institutions that commonly alienate and criminalize black and brown bodies.