Co-sponsored by History of Art

Performance theorist Richard Schechner describes “dark play” as the condition when the performer knows they are performing, but the audience does not. The term also invokes the “dark arts” or clandestine powers attributed to witches as reproductive criminals: women who, as described by Marxist feminist Silvia Federici, not only often helped others manage their reproductive health, but whose speech—insofar as they possessed the power to cast spells or curses—possessed the power to act. In this artist talk, Aliza Shvarts will discuss the broader arc of her practice, and explore how “dark play” can offer an aesthetic and political strategy to navigate increasing forms of censorship. 

Aliza Shvarts is an artist and theorist who takes a queer and feminist approach to reproductive labor and language. Her work first came to international attention in 2008 she was an undergraduate at Yale, and the university censored her senior thesis, which dealt with self-managed abortion. Shvarts’ artwork has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Tate Modern, Athens Biennale, Art in General, and Sculpture Center. Her writing and interviews have appeared in October, Artforum, The Cut, e-flux, Art in America and The Brooklyn Rail, among other publications. Shvarts holds a PhD in Performance Studies (NYU) and is currently Director of the Low-Residency MFA Program at School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).