Episode 05: the gospel of dana washington-queen
Who are you?
How does your identity influence who you are and what you do?
Have you heard of dana washington-queen (they/them)? They are a queer, research-driven writer and lens-based artist who examines power, memory, and spirituality in place through narrative, blackness, and visual culture. dana explores blackness, cultural/knowledge production, and power systems through narrative, image, performance poetry, and video. Their research and practice integrate embodied knowledge with experimental approaches to investigate the figuration of blackness, queerness, knowing, and being in the world.
Also, they are a self-taught artist. They recall 2012, when they entered the editing space. Their friends introduced them to a cracked version of the Adobe Suite. dana invested in their filming and learned how to edit. They used various videos and photographs to create narratives. In this episode, dana takes us through their journey to becoming the fantastic artist and writer they are today. They share what time means and how they have built their brand through identity.
When it comes to black bodies and politics, dana believes you cannot separate one from the other unless the gaze audience is black. They also share how they are changing the black body narrative through their work. washington-queen received a Bachelor of Art in English from California State University-Long Beach and a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from the University of California-San Diego.
Would you like to hear more about dana's story? Listen to this episode.
Key Talking Points of the Episode:
[01:33] Getting to know dana
[05:00] What does time mean to dana?
[07:18] How dana got started with their work
[10:11] How dana built their brand through self-identity
[12:16] dana's experience in academia as a queer black artist in white spaces
[17:40] How identity influences dana's work
[22:15] How dana takes up space
[23:29] dana's view of the black body. Is it political?
[24:37] How dana is changing the gaze narrative
[28:25] How dana unwinds
[29:22] dana's favorite basketball team and player
Magical Quotes from the Episode:
"I think a lot of us can be considered archivists who may not consider ourselves that because your Instagram feed is an archive. Essentially, it just depends on the value of that archive."
"Usually, when you're queer, the church is in opposition to you."
"I try to be authentically myself and that my work is authentic. I feel like if you see my work, you have an idea of who made that because the voice is so strong."
"I'm very shy, and quiet. I want my work to be loud in the ways that loudness can be, and hopefully, you hear and receive it."