Artist Juan DelGado invited to speak at the Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies

Juan is a socially engaged artist who has collaborated with individuals and groups in Colombia, Palestine, Sweden, Morocco, Syria, and produced works that explore their issues.

Since his graduation in Media Arts, he has produced a wide range of award-winning projects that expand the boundaries of art as contemplative action and immerse the audience into physically engaging with what is presented to them.

On Tuesday 18 February, Juan visited the School of Sociology and Social Policy to speak at an event hosted by The Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies. In his talk, Juan discussed his latest film project 'In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun' and presented the audience with extracts from the creative documentary which formed part of a multi-screen installation.

‘In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun’ is Part II of the ‘trilogy Drifting Narratives’, in which the artist embarks on a collaborative journey with individuals who have been forced out of their homeland.

Juan talked about when ‘Art becomes Experience’ which explores the motivation of the London-based artist for working in collaborative projects to produce works that offer "experience" and confront the viewer with the unexpected. Juan explained that “As artists, we must try different strategies for representation to appeal to the viewer's curiosity. We need to approach art with a renewed gaze and, in a way free of predetermined coding.” 

Juan also explained about project Qisetna which he set up with the aim of representing the traumatic experience of displacement in one of the worst humanitarian crises we have seen since the WW2. The award-winning online project acts as a platform for Syrians living in the diaspora to share their stories and experiences.

Juan concluded his talk by opening up the floor to questions.