Explore the vitality of contemporary Black art and culture in the Bay Area and beyond with this podcast hosted by Ryanaustin Dennis. Today’s guest is jose e. abad, a queer social practice performance artist based in San Francisco whose work explores queer futurity through an intersectional lens. They talk about their transition from administrative work for a graduate school to entering the world of experimental dance, the woes of performative liberal politics, and the power of art as a social and political tool.

Born in Olongapo City, Philippines, to a Filipinx mother and a West Indian father, jose uses dance and storytelling to explore the complexities of cultural identity, feelings of landlessness, and the memories and wisdom held within the body that the mind has forgotten and history has erased. They have performed in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco in collaboration with a variety of companies and artists including Keith Hennessy, Scott Wells, Anne Bluethenthal, Brontez Purnell Dance Company, #DignityInProcess, and Detour Dance.