GRL invites for the Public Talks Embodied resistance: art, youth and gender justice across borders. As part of the Gendered Resistance Lab (GRL) Lecture Series and the Feminist Activism Among Youth in Brazil (FAYB) project, this event brings Dr Andreza da Silveira Jorge and Kay Rufai for an evening of talks exploring art, territory, youth resistance and gender justice across Brazil and the UK.

Through two lectures and an open discussion, the evening will explore how artistic and creative practices can be used to understand, challenge and transform gendered, racialised and territorial experiences of violence, inequality and resistance. Bringing together Brazilian and UK-based perspectives, the event will reflect on art as a method of research, political expression, care, healing, community building and social change.

The event is organised by the Gendered Resistance Lab, led by Prof. Cathy McIlwaine and Renata Peppl, co-hosted by the the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation and in partnership with the Visual and Embodied Methods (VEM) and the King's Brazil Institute. The FAYB project is a collaboration between King’s College London, Redes da Maré, People’s Palace Projects at Queen Mary University of London, and the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation.

The project explores feminist activism among young people in Brazil, with a focus on creative and participatory methods, artivism, gendered violence, political consciousness and social justice.The Gendered Resistance Lab brings together research, creative outputs and collaborations around gender, violence, resistance and social justice. To find out more, visit: genderedresistancelab.com.

The event will take place on 22 June, from 17:00 to 21:00, in the Macadam Room at King’s College London, Strand Campus. The event will be broadcasted. This event is open to students, researchers, artists, activists, community practitioners and anyone interested in feminist, participatory and arts-based approaches to gender, race, youth, violence, urban life and social justice. Places are limited, so early registration is recommended.

About the speakers

Dr Andreza Jorge holds a PhD in Performing Arts from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and an MA in Ethnic-Racial Relations. She is currently a PhD candidate at Virginia Tech in Cultural Studies and author of the book Favela Feminisms: an experience from Complexo da Maré. She has also worked with social movements and community organisations for over 20 years. Her lecture will draw on her work on favela-based feminism in Brazil, embodied knowledges, gender, sexuality, intersectionality and women’s experiences in Maré, Rio de Janeiro, including her engagement with the dance group Mulheres ao Vento.

Kay Rufai is a British-Nigerian photographer, poet, filmmaker, author, mental health researcher and founder of the internationally acclaimed S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys project. His lecture will explore his creative practice across photography, poetry, film, youth engagement and mental health research, with a focus on masculinity, identity, racial justice, serious youth violence, community cohesion and the creative potential of young people.