Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo
Touch, 2020. Video, 3 min 3 seconds.
Download and print here.
Like artists, who observe and shape what is difficult to articulate, activists fight for liberatory visions of the future that a status quo can’t imagine. Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo’s multiform practice connects art and movement spaces, building a bridge between freedom dreams* and the care work that needs to be organized now. A short film and manifesto, Touch, lists the pleasures of touch and proposes that not touching is an act of community support in the pandemic. #TakeCareOf is a call to action, first printed during the 2016 US Presidential election night. As election night 2020 approaches, the artist recommends taking the poster, putting it in a public place, or giving it to someone who needs it.
*“What does the dominant culture have that we want? What does the dominant culture have that we don’t want? What do we have that we want to keep?” — Filmmaker and Activist Tourmaline on How to Freedom Dream, Vogue.
Biography
Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo (she/her/they/them) is a queer, black, artist, activist, educator, storyteller & curator who lives and works between Ohlone Land [Oakland, CA] and Powhatan Land [Richmond,VA]. Branfman-Verissimo’s work is informed by their commitment to craft and community, engagement with society, and interests in storytelling and cultural geography. Their work has been included in exhibitions and performances at Deli Gallery [Long Island City, NY], EFA Project Space [New York City, NY], Leslie Lohman Museum for Gay & Lesbian Art [New York City, NY], STNDRD [Steuben,WI], San Francisco State University Gallery, Signal Center for Contemporary Art [Malmo, Sweden], Yerba Buena Center for the Arts [San Francisco, CA] and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive [Berkeley, CA], amongst others. For the past 5 years, Lukaza has been the Lead Curator at Nook Gallery, collaborating with over 80+ artists, writers, performers & musicians, in a gallery located in their home kitchen. of Art in Austin, Texas.