In Tropical Berlin artist and activist Sumugan Sivanesan presents a speculative-fiction monologue told through a ‘recent European’, whose family arrived from the Asia-Pacific as climate refugees. This story-telling piece reflects on subcultural scenes in Berlin via the prism of Queer-Black, or rather ‘Quare’, Futurity. The work draws on embodied research into Berlin’s subcultural scenes to present a vision of a near future ‘Tropical Berlin’.
The performance is part of the congress Be.Bop 2018 Black Europe Body Politics. A project of Art Labour Archives in cooperation with Studio Я / Maxim Gorki Theater and Autograph ABP (London) curated by Alanna Lockward. Supported by Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb and ifa-Galerie Berlin (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) with friendly support by Danish Arts Foundation, Savvy Contemporary, Humboldt University Berlin, London College of Communication: University of the Arts London, King's College London and Tate Britain.
