Yoko Ono (February 18, 1933-) is a Japanese-American multimedia artist who is a pioneer in performance art. “Cut Piece” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Zslnc5XTft_aLRW4eCrFnsKL5MzFB1y&si=QhPqclQrDqPR0Q2C) is one considered to be of the earliest, most significant works of both the 1960s feminist art movement and what would become the Fluxus art movement.
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #YokoOno

. “Cut Piece” serves to examine the violence of objectification of the female body w/r/t/ the eroticization of Asian women in the west by exposing the mechanics of violence, vulnerability, and complicity. This is from the third performance of “Cut Piece” which was done at NYC’s Carnegie Recital Hall in March 1965.
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #YokoOno

Now in her 90s, Yoko Ono has largely stepped away from the public eye aside from matters related to her retrospective work and stuff related to her late husband’s work that his sons don’t handle
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #yokoOno

“Cold Breaks” is a hula performance choreographed by 2023 MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Queer Native Hawaiian Dance ethnographer and choreographer Patrick Makuakāne (1960/1961-) (https://youtu.be/nph2ZCJcb7Y?si=hYnVCI5gWJ_jHjOB) This performance is from the renowned Hula School Nā Lei Hulu i ka Wēkiu-San Francisco.
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #PatrickMakuakane #Hula #dance

“Mommy, Mommy! Where’s My Brain?!” (1986) (https://youtu.be/cLFS4K5c97o?si=iXp8e51Jppy1z-fw) is directed by Hawaiian-born Japanese-American punk musician and filmmaker Jon Moritsugu (February 15, 1965-)
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #MommyMommyWheresMyBrain #JonMoritsugu

#LaEsoterica fans may remember Jon Moritsugu from “Terminal USA” from 2024’s #AANHPIHeritageMonth playlist (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Zslnc5XTft0ywGsMM34kyVsUEfj1liR&si=fB-ZUXhOWk6UaB7A)
#JonMoritsugu

Next up is “Trampoline Color Exercise” (https://youtu.be/cimrHB2SROM?si=IFEVEI8sQ8KHdKpN) from 2025’s Time Square Midnight Moment series. It was created by Chinese-born former child performer turned video artist and filmmaker Yuge Zhou (1985-), whose work addresses rootedness, cohabitation, and social encounters across urban spaces. You can find out more from the accompanying short interview (https://youtu.be/13u4wnxW4cM?si=_GbdzuLxNmjd-XnW)
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #YugeZhou #art #nyc

And now our feature presentation: “This Is How The World Ends” (https://youtu.be/zTvVcXFjlog?si=fu_phugnWitMxV7X) directed by gay Japanese-American filmmaker Gregg Araki (December 17, 1959-).
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #ThisIsHowTheWorldEnds #GreggAraki

“This Is How The World Ends” was originally made as a pilot for an MTV series that director Gregg Araki described as “Dawson’s Creek meets Twin Peaks. Due to The late 90s/early 00s popularity of MTV’s reality series “Road Rules” and “Real World”, the network slashed Araki’s budget and later shelved the project all together. While the show never aired on TV the pilot made its way onto the internet in recent years
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #ThisIsHowTheWorldEnds #GreggAraki

Another Time Square Midnight Moment is British Columbia-based Pakistani-American painter and artist Eeman Masood (1998-)’s There is a voice that doesn’t use words, Listen” (https://youtu.be/NQOZvtSdrQ0?si=p3Gp_K1S15Sg5Lk6) that was featured this February (https://youtu.be/Kq1QSWRfk4o?si=NpZI1PaEBJpkJ9f5). This piece began as layers upon layers of hand-painted animation!
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #EemanMasood #art #nyc

Next is a walkthrough of the 2025 interactive installation “Floating World: A.A. Murakami at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston” (https://youtu.be/g4D4i5Q4ZII?si=Hy6xmg3mGsZ54BTD) from wife & husband duo Japanese architect Azusa Murakami (1984-)🇯🇵 and British artist Alexander Groves (1983-)🇬🇧. This installation was the first U.S. museum show from them
#LaEsoterica #AAMurakami #AzusaMurakami #AlexanderGrovers #MFAH

Here’s a short piece about Lehuauakea (they/them), a Native Hawaiian (mixed Kanaka ʻŌiwi) interdisciplinary artist and Kapa (traditional Hawaiian barkcloth) maker from Pāpaʻikou, Hawai (https://youtu.be/aRJig192kHE?si=xxifMh3HxHxcMyeO)
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #Lehuauakea

“American Vanity” (https://youtu.be/yUGSoHJXY70?si=2tT_Y3luYlabgzeQ) is a performance piece from Armenian-American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian Eric Bogosian (April 24, 1953-). Most people will recognize him from his lengthy TV and film career including his recent role on “Interview with The Vampire”
#LaEsoterica #AANHPIHeritageMonth #EricBogosian