Yohana Junker

On Art, Religion, and the Poetics of Resistance


Feb
5
1:00 PM13:00

Coming up! 18th Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquium: Political Theology at the Edge: Collectivities of Crisis and Possibility

From the conference website!

“The Drew University Graduate Division of Religion is pleased to announce the 18th Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquium: Political Theology at the Edge: Collectivities of Crisis and Possibility. This year’s Colloquium, like every other, takes place between and beyond disciplines.  It hopes to recharge the practical theorizing of political theology at the gathering point of the crises of the present.  That present – irreducible to its future-trumping U.S. regime, indeed to any exceptionalist power – finds itself at multiple, shifting edges.  The intersecting politics of race, immigration and gender, of sovereignty, democracy and economics, of religion and authoritarianism, seem to converge along the eerie edges of climate change and environmental collapse. Eschatology turns apocalyptic. But then again, we may remember that the eschatos of eschatology might re-signify “end” as “edge,” a rim or verge; spatial as well as temporal.  Of course, we may – as nation, as civilization, even as species – go over it.  Or might a political theology of our entangled materiality catalyze edgier practices, eschatoi of unguaranteed possibility?”

Check out the work (Frayed | Hilos, 2018) I did for them here.

“These images convey themes of territorial lines and boundaries (academic and otherwise). They fray the hilos, yet are tenacious. They fold the edges, the invisible, the conflicting, the rims, collective crises. They are my attempt at smudging the disciplines, a reminder about climate change, of our earthly flux.”

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Dec
6
6:00 PM18:00

On The Consequences of Hate Speech Opening Reception!

Please join us for the opening reception of the art exhibition at the Manny Cantor Center, 197 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002.

When: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018 | 6-8PM |

Presented by the Manny Cantor Center and the Jewish Art Salon.

Exhibit on view Mon-Sat 10-6, until January 18, 2019.

Online Catalogue can be viewed here, which features my work “WordQuake: a Cartography of Hate Speech,” 2018, Mixed Media.

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Nov
18
8:00 PM20:00

ARC's Re-Launch Celebration and Reception

In the middle of being at AAR, spend the evening with us in a place and space that is decidedly not AAR: Art exhibitions, drinks, small plates (sweet and savory), and music. On us.

A reception celebrating the renewed life of ARC: Arts | Religion | Culture. Formed in 1962, the organization that became "The Society for Arts, Religion, and Contemporary Culture," is in the midst of an exciting period of growth and transformation. Come celebrate with us in a Denver art gallery as we make a major announcement.

Members of the Association for Theopoetics, former SARCC Fellows, and all those who have ever been at ARC, SARCC, and ATRE events are especially welcome.

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Nov
9
6:00 PM18:00

Closing Reception of Altar for Marielle Franco, SOMARTS

Come One, Come All!


Closing reception of SOMART’s exhibition Honoring our Ancestor by Fighting for the Future is today!! Doors open at 6pm; 6–9pm, $7–$10 sliding scale admission with Dia de los Muertos artist market and live performance.#diadelosmuertos #somartsculturalcenter #honoringourancestors #mariellepresente #dayofthedead #somancestors

Thank you, @somarts, for a delicious evening. Todo nuestro amor y más...! Uma experiência incrível, corações generosos e amor pra trans-bordar!!

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Oct
18
12:30 PM12:30

Theopoetics: Art and Theology in the Female Latin American Body

Today I had the honor of giving lecture through zoom for Dr. Boyung Lee’s class “Women and Theologies from the Global South: A Postcolonial Approach”

Here is what she had to say about the lecture:

“Yohana, you are a phenomenal teacher, scholar and artist/activist! Did you notice that during your teaching a few of my students were in tears? Thanks for the powerful and provocative zoom-in teaching!” Boyung Lee

It was my pleasure, Dr. Boyung Lee and fellow learner-teachers!

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Oct
12
6:00 PM18:00

Thank You for Joining Us at the Opening Reception at SOMARTS!

As someone who was fundamentally shaped and inspired by the works of women like Marielle Franco, I am dedicated to developing communities that affirm activism, art, and imagination as tools that can transform our realities. And it is right here in this altar that memory, history, communities, our ancestors, and ourselves meet... sewn together as part of the same fabric that allows for human and divine flourishing in artistry and freedom. The transgressive, moving, subversive, and beautiful art present here at SOMarts create a language to speak of fractures, fissures, and wounds through a cultural vocabulary that invoke the dignity of our human irreducibility. May the memory of Marielle Franco summon from us a solemn presence that is able to feel the slits on our throats, the cracks in the grounds of our being, while also pushing us to move forward in solidarity, entanglement, hope, and capacious resistance. Sold out opening!!!!
Thank you coletivo desbordar for co-creating this with me!!! Thank you Gifford, Marisol Silva, Bárbara Dias for all your work and contributions. I am more because we are! I am because I create.

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Oct
12
to Nov 9

Marielle Franco: Co-Creating the Future with Our Ancestors

Join me for the opening night of SOMARTS exhibition “Honoring Our Ancestors by Fighting for the Future: Día de los Muertos 2018,” which will run from October 13–November 9, 2018. The exhibition unveiling, Friday, October 12, 2018, 6–9pm, $12–$15 sliding scale admission, features performances by La Mezcla and a Dia de los Muertos inspired artist market.

This year, Coletivo Desbordar and I will create the installation “Marielle Franco: Co-Creating the Future with Our Ancestors,” to honor our Brazilian ancestor Marielle Franco. Franco was a council woman, elected by the city of Rio de Janeiro, who was brutally executed on March 14th, 2018, after leaving a black women’s empowerment event. As a black, lesbian, single mother—born and raised in the Maré favela—she worked against racism, inequality, and homophobia in a country mired by the consequences of white supremacy, hetero-patriarchy, feminicide, and neo-capitalism. An altar to honor her life, values, and work stands as an artistic memorialization of the unutterable crime against her as well as to the lives of our ancestors that have been lost. With this poetic gesture, we hope to come together to mourn these losses and partake in momentary memorials that confer visibility to crimes that may otherwise go unnoticed or forgotten. We also hope to become implicated the fight for our future to live with dignity, safety, and freedom.

Coletivo Desbordar is a feminist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist group of Brazilian immigrants in the Bay Area that envision a world of free bodies and open borders. Through direct actions, media campaigns, study groups, support groups, and workshops, we aim to show transnational solidarity with leftist, feminist, and intersectional social movements in Brazil and Latin America. Our collective is comprised of several creative women who work at the intersection of political activism, education, and creativity. We are committed to a praxis being and acting in the world as an experience of convivencia, of living and learning en conjunto. Our artistic practice is an attempt to give visibility to persons and communities that have been silenced and erased, trusting that an embodied encounter with the arts can co-create another possible world.


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Sep
29
11:30 AM11:30

#EleNao #EleNunca: Join us for Demonstrations at Harvey Milk Plaza Today!

From the FB Event’s page

“Em defesa de um Brasil livre do fascismo, homofobia, racismo e misogonia. Em defesa do nosso direito de ser quem somos, amar quem quisermos.
Vamos unir nossas vozes aos protestos que estarão rolando no Brasil no dia 29 de setembro.

Convidamos indivíduos de todos os sexos, genêros, LGBT, negros, imigrantes e pessoas de todas as religiões, idades, raças e etnias para um ato contra o fascismo.

Assim como outros países, o Brasil tem enfrentado a ascendência do neofascismo e sofrido com suas consequências, que se refletem na política e na sociedade como um todo. Em meio ao cenário do golpe, a opressão, a censura, o autoritarismo, a discriminação, o ódio e a violência têm sido propagados por políticos e por uma elite e imprensa hegemônicas, que querem manter seus privilégios a qualquer custo.

Reafirmaremos nosso pedido de justiça para Marielle Franco, brutalmente assassinada há mais de seis meses. Iremos protestar contra a misoginia, o racismo, o preconceito de classe e contra qualquer tipo de intolerância. Protestaremos contra o candidato à presidência de extrema direita, o fascista Jair Bolsonaro, que representa um retrocesso para as mulheres, para as minorias e para todos os cidadãos que respeitam os Direitos Humanos e que desejam uma sociedade mais justa e pacífica.

Junte-se a nós contra o Fascismo e pela Democracia!
#EleNão
#EleNunca

In English:

Women Against Fascism

We invite individuals of all genders, sex orientation, immigrants, minorities, people of all religions, age, races and ethnicities for an act against fascism.

Such as in many other countries, Brazil has faced the rise of neo-fascism and has suffered with its consequences, which are reflected in politics and in the society as a whole. Amidst the scenario of the coup, oppression, censorship, authoritarianism, discrimination, hatred and violence, the alt-right politicians along with the hegemonic elite and the mainstream media want to maintain their privileges at any cost.

We will reaffirm our request for justice for Marielle Franco, a Rio councilwoman brutally murdered over six months ago. We will protest against misogyny, racism, class prejudice and against any kind of intolerance. We will protest against the alt-right presidential candidate, the fascist Jair Bolsonaro, who represents a setback for minorities and for all citizens of the world who respect human rights and who want a more fair and peaceful society.

Join us against Fascism and for Democracy!”

Organized by Marina Segatti, member of the Coletivo Desbordar, a feminist and leftist collective of Brazilian immigrant women in the Bay Area that through direct actions, art making, media campaigns, study, and support groups, aim to bridge transnational solidarity with social movements in Brazil and Latin America

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Sep
20
4:30 PM16:30

Cecilia Vicuña: About to Happen

About to happen: come one, come all! Today I’ll be speaking about Vicuña’s work, her threads and her installations, which weave our humanity back to our precarious, fragile skins.

The exhibition runs through October 14th, 2018 at  bampfa.berkeley.edu​​

Third Thursdays at BAMPFA is provided by the Center for the Arts and Religion, at the Graduate Theological Union. Here is a word from their page:

“Every Third Thursday of the month, receive a complimentary ticket to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and hear a short talk by a GTU faculty member on an exhibition or artwork. The first event of the semester, held on September 20, will be lead by GTU doctoral candidate and CARe Student Advisory Board member Yohana Junker, who will discuss the exhibition "Cecilia Vicuña: About to Happen".

Graduate Theological Union students, staff, faculty, and friends are all welcome. BAMPFA is located at 2155 Center Street, between Oxford Street and Shattuck Avenue, in downtown Berkeley | bampfa.berkeley.edu​​

Sept. 20 - Yohana Junker (GTU PhD candidate) on “Cecilia Vicuña: About to Happen”

Oct. 18 - Dr. Rossitza Schroeder on “Old Masters in a New Light: Rediscovering the European Collection”

Nov. 15 - Dr. Devin Zuber (GTU/CSS Assoc Prof of American Studies, Religion, and Literature) on “Peter Hujar: Speed of Life”

Dec 13 - Dr. Thomas Cattoi (GTU/JST-SCU Assoc Prof of Christology and Cultures, Dwan Family Endowed Chair in Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue) on “Boundless: Contemporary Tibetan Artists at Home and Abroad”

Please note, your Eventbrite RSVP does not include admission to BAMPFA. A CARe staff member will meet you in the BAMPFA lobby to check in and distribute visitor passes.”


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Jun
18
to Jun 19

Heading to Denver for the Forum for Theological Exploration 2018 Doctoral Consultation!

This two-day consultation happens before the Association of Theological School’s Centennial meeting, June 18-19, 2018 in Denver, and the theme is “Design Conditions for Scholars of Color to Thrive,.” Leaders in theological education, deans, and directors of doctoral programs from FTE’s Doctoral Network will be thinking and designing support networks for students of color to thrive!

In the picture, Dr. Boyung Lee, (Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Practical Theology at Iliff School of Theology), myself, and Dr. Ann Joh (Professor of Theology and Culture at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary).

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Apr
20
to Apr 27

EXHIBITION SNEAK PREVIEW AT GARRETT-EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, IN EVANSTON, IL

Friends in the Chicago/Evanston area:

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is featuring a sneak preview of my upcoming Fall exhibition from April 21st to 26th. They are located at 2121 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60201 and you are welcome to view the work from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, at G-ETS's chapel entrance.

Please help spread the word!

Em resistência e paz,

Yohana

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Feb
21
2:30 PM14:30

Colloquium Department of Historical and Cultural Studies of Religion, GTU, Berkeley

Please join us for our February 21 departmental colloquy! PhD candidate Yohana Junker
will present her work, entitled, “Framing Infinity: Notes on James Turrell and the Sacralization of Art in the Land.” This presentation will invite an exploration of Turrell’s Roden Crater and Skyspace and how his artworks in the deserts of the American Southwest and elsewhere are indebted to a Christian imagination and notions of sacred mobility that are particularly rooted in Quakerism. Drawing on the frameworks of art history, Quaker aesthetics, and ritual architecture, Yohana will also demonstrate how Turrell’s works ritualize the landscape, resonating with particular aspects of the Christian tradition of pilgrimages to holy sites. Devin Zuber will respond.

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Nov
4
7:00 PM19:00

Three-phase exhibition “Shifting Sanctuaries: Inter-religious Dialogue Through Artistic Expression,” Nov-2011 through May 2012

Invited artist and speaker for the three-phase exhibition “Shifting Sanctuaries: Interreligious Dialogue Through Artistic Expression,” Indianapolis, March 2012.

CTS alumni Amy Kindred, Masters of Theological Studies students Alfred Eaker and Yohana Junker are collaborating on a theological dialogue through artistic expression. This three-phase exhibition will journey through three distinct venues--the Earth House Collective (Lockerby United Methodist Church), T.K. Nelson Gallery, and CTS, in Indianapolis, IN throughout the fall of 2012.

These three shows represent their spiritual journeys at different stages. In each phase, they communicate with and challenge each other, the viewers, and the spaces to encounter Shifting Sanctuaries as a spiritual process and pilgrimage.

The first showing, Room for a View (Nov. 4th), suggests a dialogue for theological and artistic diversity: Amy Kindred (Unitarian Universalist), Alfred Eaker (Catholic), and Yohana Junker (Methodist) speak a shared artistic-spiritual-embodied language which is unrestricted, unfinished, and all-inclusive.

In the second showing, Seeking and Hiding (Dec. 2nd ) the three artists seek to discover meaning in a different sanctuary with the child-like joy of repetition gleamed from the experience of the first collaboration. 

In the third and final showing, A Boundlessly Expansive Road, the artists make their way back to CTS, the home that cultivated their ultimate spiritual yearning.



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