Bookmarks of Discomfort is a new DP program that brings together BIPOC and Queer transdisciplinary & interdisciplinary artists, writers, poets, designers, & social scientists who address the idea of discomfort through visual, aural, physical, & textual monographs. Often we confront our true selves, an assertive voice of self through uncomfortable situations, circumstances. Unfortunately, those moments of discomfort are often grounded on the societal hegemonic, both explicit and implied codes of being, behaving, experiencing understanding, and interpreting. When we find ourselves in those discomfort moments, we may respond to comply, resist, stay silent, revolve, observe and reflect, and many more ways. These moments of discomfort present themselves and affect different races, ethnicities, and individuals within collectives and communities differently. Five diverse artists, writers, performers, and poets, coming together to present the idea of discomfort in their own subjective ways. This presentation will address the discomfort component objectively and the participant’s subjective response to it to create a space for healing, self-expression, and assertiveness of both collective and self. Bookmarks of Discomfort is conceived and curated by New York-based artist Priyanka Das.

Hector Canonge 
I Belong Here As Much As You Do
15 mins
Hector Canonge is an interdisciplinary artist, independent curator, educator, and cultural entrepreneur based in New York City. His work incorporates the use of new media technologies, cinematic narratives, Live Action Art, and Social Practice to explore and treat issues related to constructions of identity, gender roles, and the politics of migration. Challenging the white box settings of a gallery or a museum, or intervening directly in public spaces, his performances mediate movement, endurance, and ritualistic processes. Some of his actions and carefully choreographed performances involve collaborating with other artists and interacting with audiences. His installations, interactive platforms, performance artwork, and literary readings have been exhibited and presented in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

Flex Dance Program 
15 Mins 
Group Performance
Flex Dance Program (est. 2014) is an arts education non-profit that fosters positive growth among young people in difficult circumstances. Flex seeks to transform physical energy into positive non-verbal self-expression that offers an alternative to conflict. Flex (Flexn) is a unique form of dance that originated on the streets of Brooklyn, New York in the 1990s. The Avantgarde art form is inspired by Dancehall and Bruk Up dance from Jamaica.

Vivian Ostrovsky
Hiatus (Film)
12 Mins
Manhattan, New York, was where I happened to be born. After 6 months of stress, I boarded the first plane to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with my parents and sister. My primary and secondary school was not too far from Copacabana Beach. The university years were spent in Paris, suffering at the Institut de Psychologie. To make life less tedious, I saw films in art movie houses rather than attending classes at the Sorbonne. After my B.A. in Psychology, I enrolled in Film Studies at Paris 3-Sorbonne, at the Institut d’Art et Archeologie (Eric Rohmer’s classes) and at the Cinemathèque Française (Henri Langlois’ classes).