Breathing Room: 
    w/ S*an D. Henry-Smith + Dove/Christopher Kirubi


    We are very excited to announce that for the coming few months we will be monthly events. Bar Bario is a great fit for us since the space has a practice of making space for Black, Brown and Queer folx and organisation to gather to celebrate together, organize, and to exchange knowledge. Metro54 will be using the space to host conversations, performances and exhibit artists’ work. We have already hosted our Babylon screening and our Breathing in Babylon conversation.

    For our next event at Bario, we have invited poet and artist S*an D. Henry-Smith to host The Breathing Room. For this first program, Henry-Smith, alongside fellow poet/artist Christopher Kirubi/Dove, will offer poetry readings. Together, Kirubi and Henry-Smith will share a conversation on breath, sound, and movement as it relates to their practices.

    💥29 October 2022💥
    💥Time: 19:00💥
    💥Location: Bar Bario💥
    💥Language: English💥
    💥RSVP: RSVP@metro54.nl 💥

    Christopher Kirubi/Dove is a poet and artist who uses the mutability of images, objects and text to negotiate the limits of sexuality, gender, race and desire. Christopher graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2018 and has been featured in numerous exhibitions, events and performances both nationally and internationally, including CAMPUS Fugitive: The Unexpected Beautiful Phrase (2019) at Nottingham Contemporary, Breathless (2018) at 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning in London and Young Black Romantics (2018) at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris. Christopher is also a member of BBZ BLK BK, an online directory of queer womxn, trans and non-binary artists of Black ancestry. Christopher is the third recipient of Block 336’s Studio Residency Award, a free three month studio residency.

    S*an D. Henry-Smith is an artist and writer working in poetry, photography, and performance, engaging Black experimentalisms and collaborative practices. They have received awards and fellowships from the Fulbright Program, The Poetry Project, and Poets House, among others. S*an collaborates with Imani Elizabeth Jackson as mouthfeel; their book Consider the Tongue explores histories of aquatic labor and Black food through cooking, poetry, and ephemeral practices. They are the author of two chapbooks, and Wild Peach, their first full length collection. They are also the director of the short film, Lunar New Year.

    The Breathing Room series, comprised of research activities in the form of podcasts, essays, reading, exhibitions and intimate meetings, was recently explored through the latest iteration of We Out Here. With the Breathing Room, we are building space for intimate, collective learning, meditation and reference. Drawing on theory, poetry, and artist-manifestos, we will critically reflect on concepts such as togetherness and care in the time of the pandemic. We already have an event in the works for September; a poetic event that links breath, voice, and movement. All details will be revealed in due time so keep an eye out on our socials.