A BODY (SUR)RENDERS/ UN CUERPO (SE)RINDE ANTO ASTUDILLO

A Body (sur)renders/Un Cuerpo (se)rinde is a psychophysical hybrid film & live performance where images, audio and movement are intertwined for the audience to experience as a single synchronized piece. The films included, shot over the past 4 years, are in itself a process of transformation and raw performances captured on 16mm film that address physical and psychological changes in the human body at a personal level. This project is an intimate piece where I manifest my transition, who I am today as queer trans human and how this identity is deeply intertwined with me as an artist. TRT: 50 min. A Body (sur)renders/Un Cuerpo (se)rinde will run for three performances, on Saturdays, August 6 and 13 and Sunday August 14. (This project has been partially funded by a “Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.”)

“A Body (sur)renders/Un Cuerpo (se)rinde”,  includes the following films:

• EXO (16mm to digital)
• Some kind of diagram (16mm to digital)
• Render my body (16mm)
• A Body sur(renders) (16mm to digital)
• Render my body Avatar (HD video)

This performance is being presented in conjunction with (My) Body (Your) Body, a two week residency at Millennium Film Workshop exhibiting the work of trans non-binary artists Anto Astudillo and Kelley Van Dilla.

Anto Astudillo (they/them) is an experimental filmmaker, curator and performance artist. Their work navigates the non-binary, the in-between and hybridity exploring internal reflexive dialogs, anthropological observations and the psychophysical. Rooted in theater and martial arts, Anto explores dynamic interconnections between the practice of embodiment and poetic cinema to create visual portraits of personal and intimate themes in the form of 16mm film and post-dramatic performances.

Anto’s Artist Statement:

My path is defined by creating film and performance pieces that exceed the genre and connect with the fluidity of my gender identity. My practice navigates the queer trans consciousness where film and performance co-exist and are intertwined. In it I examine the conventions of cinema to create hybrid film experiments where I play with visual poetry, autobiographical reflection and use of movement and performance to trace dialogues within and beyond the frame.