Dictée/Exilée Performance Series at Americas Society, NYC Nov. 20 6 pm
Posted on Instagram on November 30, 2024
In my dream, I stood in a dark, empty room, blinded by the dazzling light of the projector. First rehearsal. Second rehearsal. Then, suddenly, the audience appeared before me, as I stood before them. I saw silhouettes, ghostly figures without faces. I tried to look directly into their eyes without making eye contact.
For 25 minutes, I realized Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s wish: I became “the dream of the audience,” and the audience became my dream. Together, we shared this collective experience, and the piece was complete.
I am deeply grateful to Theresa and Tie Jojima for being the catalysts for Dictée/Exilée, to everyone who came to experience it, and to those who generously shared your feedback afterward. Your responses have shown me that a genuine connection was made.
When preparing the piece, I was very aware of the potential language and cultural barriers for the non-Spanish-speaking audience in NYC. I wondered if I’d be able to break through those differences and connect. I hoped I could.
Special thanks to Diana López for her unwavering support of Venezuelan artists in our complex context and for connecting me with Tie Jojima and Yudi Rafael, the visionary curators of ‘The Appearance’; to Americas Society and Aimé Iglesias for the kind invitation; and to Carla Lucini for guiding me through every step of the preparations with such care and grace. Working with you and the incredible team at AS was an absolute pleasure.
All images Courtesy of Americas Society. Images with logo are stills from video. Rest of images Ph. Ana Aizer.
In the context of the exhibition The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean, and as part of the Performance Series, Art at Americas Society presents the debut performance Dictée/Exilée by Venezuelan-Korean artist Suwon Lee. The performance will take place on Wednesday, November 20, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm ET, at Americas Society in New York, followed by a celebratory reception. This event is in person, free, and open to the public.
Join us on
Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm ET
Americas Society 680 Park Ave. New York, NY
Registration is required to attend in person.
RSVP HERE
Doors open at 6:00 pm. The performance will begin promptly at 6:15 pm. RSVP is REQUIRED. Early arrival is suggested as space is limited, and entry is not guaranteed for late arrivals.
The program's recording will be available on this website and on the Art at Americas Society YouTube channel.
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s 1975 performance Aveugle Voix, together with her seminal texts Dictée (1982) and Exilée/Temps Morts (2009), profoundly express the struggles of migrant experience, capturing the silencing of marginalized voices and the challenges of self-expression when identity is intertwined with historical trauma. This exploration of language and memory is a core inspiration for Suwon Lee’s Dictée/Exilée. In this piece, Lee reflects on her journey as a Venezuelan woman in self-exile, navigating the complexities of an identity shaped by dual diasporic displacement—as the daughter of Korean immigrants born in Venezuela. The dimmed lights, projected images, and spoken words intertwine to form a tunnel-like narrative, drawing the audience into a dreamlike exploration that both questions the notion of homeland and grounds her in a fluid, evolving sense of self.
As Cha wrote, “Exile is dead time.” Yet personal acts can reclaim this “death” and transform exile into a collective experience. Dictée/Exilée becomes a reclamation of new territory through the creative act.
Visuals: Suwon Lee & Marcos Arévalo
Sound: Marcos Arévalo
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