Frida Robles

Artist talk with @rabbyahurmat at Theater, Film and Media studies as part of the course "History as performance, performance as history" from Frida Robles. 27 May // 16:45 // Rotunde // Spittelau // Seminarraum 2

Neu in der edition mono / monochrom! The Bystanders von Frida Robles Das Buch The Bystanders präsentiert die Transkription der Stimmen von Zeug:innen, die den Mord an George Floyd am 25. Mai 2020 beobachtet haben. Es basiert auf Bodycam-Aufnahmen des ehemaligen Minneapolis-Polizisten Tou Thao, die während des Prozesses gegen Derek Chauvin vorgelegt wurden. Im Zentrum stehen die Stimmen von Donald Williams, Darnella Frazier, Genieve Hansen, Charles McMillian, Jared Aronson, Shawanda Hill, Courtney Ross, Alonzo Smith, Brandon Williams und anderen – Menschen, die nicht geschwiegen haben, sondern öffentlich, eindringlich und oft unter persönlichem Risiko auf die Polizeigewalt reagierten, die sich vor ihren Augen vollzog. Frida Robles ist eine mexikanische Künstlerin und Forscherin, die in Wien lebt. Sie beschäftigt sich mit Selbsthinterfragung und Heilung und sieht das Persönliche als politisch. Ihre Kunst geht von öffentlichen Installationen über Performances bis hin zu Texten. Sie unterrichtet am Institut für Theater-, Film- und Medienwissenschaften der Universität Wien und an der Akademie der bildenden Künste in Wien. Kostenloser Download unter: https://shop.monochrom.at/ Fotocredits: Igor Ripak

English version in the first comment ↓ MEMORY, SPEAK! — gestern / heute Danke für gestern. Heute geht es weiter. Noch wenige Plätze verfügbar. Kommt vorbei. — 11.–12. April 2026 Brunnenpassage Wien DE & EN mit Simultanübersetzung Livestream via Link in Bio 📸 Igor Ripak mit Mohammad Abou Chucker

English version in the first comment ↓ MEMORY, SPEAK! – Jürorin Frida Robles Künstlerin · Kuratorin Frida Robles lebt in Wien und arbeitet als Konzeptkünstlerin und Kuratorin an den Schnittstellen von Selbsthinterfragung und Heilung. Ihre Praxis umfasst öffentliche Installationen, Performances und Texte – zuletzt etwa „The Bystanders“. — Foto (c) Mikal Maldoror — MEMORY, SPEAK! 11.–12. April 2026 Brunnenpassage Wien DE & EN mit Simultanübersetzung Pay as you can · Anmeldung erwünscht — Ein Projekt von science communication research und Mobile Akademie Berlin In Zusammenarbeit mit Volkskundemuseum Wien und Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft der Brunnenpassage Gefördert von Stadt Wien Kultur

THE BYSTANDERS, 2026 Frida Robles Artist book and installation This project engages with the body-camera footage of former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao presented during the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. When watching this extended video, I was struck by how the bystanders/witnesses stood up and spoke out against the atrocities, while the police officers kept telling them to “stay on the sidewalk.” This is an exploration of that moment and of the voices of Donald Williams, Darnella Frazier, Genevieve Hansen, Charles McMillian, Jared Aronson, Shawanda Hill, Courtney Ross, Alonzo Smith, Brandon Williams, and others. Which documents belong to us? Which documents are we leaving behind as a society? How many killings do we continue to watch? With Ujjwal Kanishka Utkarsh and @mikalmaldoror Project part of a fellowship at @kueltuergemma Presented at @mezekere_ Published by @monochrom.film Opening March 20th on view until April 11, 2026. With support from Kulturinitiativen MA7.

Moving Space at @mezekere_ , Apollogasse 21/05, 1070 Wien kültüř gemma! Edition 2025–2026 The presentation of the 2025 kültüř gemma! fellowships and scholarships unfolds not as a conclusion, but as a constellation: the outcome of six months shaped by mentorship, collective study, and embodied practices of listening. What emerges here is not a series of isolated works, but a dynamic field of artistic positions. These practices move fluidly across memory, migration, refusal, and collective imagination. The artists gathered in this edition inhabit territories where the personal, the political, and the ancestral continuously intersect. Many of the participating artists engage with sites where official histories fall silent. Their works speak from the margins — from lived experiences denied protection, recognition, or legitimacy by state and institutional frameworks. In these contexts, storytelling becomes an act of resistance, and the archives of collective experience extend beyond institutional walls, finding form in bodies, gestures, oral narratives, community rituals, and everyday acts of survival. This exhibition proposes the archive not as a static repository, but as a living, contested terrain. Through artistic practice, participants trace the fragments of collective memory that persist despite erasure, and in doing so, articulate new visual languages and iconographies — aesthetic forms that reject colonial frameworks and arise instead from anti-colonial imagination. Public and social movements are present here as genealogies of knowledge. These works echo the histories of collective organizing, protest, and disobedience recognizing them not merely as political strategies, but as embodied epistemologies that determine how communities move, gather, and envision liberation. Within this horizon, dance and movement appear as technologies of freedom. The body becomes a vessel of transmission carrying memory, trauma, pleasure, and futurity. Movement is approached not simply as choreography, but as a methodology: a way of thinking, remembering, and generating knowledge otherwise. funded by the City of Vienna (department MA7) more in the comments

“The oppressed will always believe the worst about themselves” Frantz Fanon Fanonian Quilts with Frida Robles (BIPoC-only) Centered around the teachings of the revolutionary thinker, militant and psychiatrist Frantz Fanon, this project aims to connect Vienna-based individuals affected by racism who will share time and space to stitch together an open-ended quilt while listening to fragments of Fanon’s Black Skins, White Masks. The aim is to create a space of togetherness without the need to share stories, talk or be performative in any way. The quilt itself serves as a canvas for sharing ideas and imagery within the group. Note: Please bring fabric scraps if you have (not mandatory). Language: English Target audience: BIPoC-only When? 24 March 2026, 6:00 pm Where? Will be announced after registration. Registration: Please write a short email to: [email protected]

❗ In the coming days, we will present the work that our scholars and fellows will show in their final presentation at MOVING SPACE in MEZEKƎRƎ SPACE. Starting with: The Bystanders Which documents do we create as a society? A reflection on the acts and voices of those who witnessed the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Based on body-camera footage of former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, presented during the trial of Derek Chauvin. In particular those of Donald Williams, as well as Darnella Frazier, Genieve Hansen, Charles McMillian, Jared Aronson, Shawanda Hill, Courtney Ross, Alonzo Smith, Brandon Williams and others, who publicly responded to police brutality. With ujjwal kanishka utkarsh and Mikal Maldoror @mikalmaldoror Frida Robles @fri.dance is an artist, writer and curator. Her work unfolds at the intersections of memory, place and imagination weaving personal narratives and collective histories into poetic acts of presence. Through text, performance, and gesture, she creates transient spaces where desire, language, and time intertwine. Her art listens—to cities, to archives, to strangers in the street—transforming encounters into essays of place and feeling. With a background in history and art, Frida approaches each project as an open research, where the site/context itself becomes the co-author. Her work spans performance, curating, and editorial practice. She has developed projects in public spaces and at institutions such as brut Wien, WUK, mumok, La Casa Encendida and Drawing Lab Layout (c) Sarah Dagostino @_sarahdagostino_

BREATHING SPACES Work-in-Progress Screening · Discourse · Live Performance · DJ Set An essay film program exploring breath, memory, bodies and resistance across five film essays. Through voice, performance, monuments and places, Breathing Spaces asks how history persists: in architecture, monuments, silence and the body itself. Program · Jan 21 · Admiral Kino Vienna 19:00 Discourse with @bel.kamkaze @ishragahamid 20:00 Work-in-Progress Screening – Breathing Space with Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński – Srebrenica with @barbimarkovic – The Wound with @fri.dance – Under the Balcony with @marko.markvic – Sisi with Frida Robles 21:00 Live Performance · @kasho.chualan 22:00 DJ Set · @liminalz_ Credits & Crew (films) Directed by Mikal Maldoror Texts & Performances: Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Barbi Marković, Frida Robles, Marko Marković Cinematography: @igorripakphotography , Dalibor Danilović, @blagojevic_insta , @cosimo.nando , Editing: @raynateneva @araniom , Antonella Sarubbi, Mikal Maldoror, Cosimo Nando Music: @marina_dzukljev , @sound.seeeker Sound Design: Jan Vysocky (@studiocairos ) · Audiomanufaktur Light / Gaffer: Reza Majdodin, Gustavo Elgueta Color Grading: Tilman Rödiger Post-production: @lichtundlinsen A production by Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft · Brunnenpassage Vienna Supported by @cppd_dialogueperspectives_ , Zukunftsfonds of the Republic of Austria, MA7 Vienna 🎟 Limited tickets · Admiral Kino

(DE) SISI Text & Performance: Frida Robles Ein Filmessay von Mikal Maldoror Teil von Breathing Spaces 21.1. · Admiral Kino Wien Eine einfache Geste im öffentlichen Raum: Ein Denkmal wird verhüllt. Die imperiale Sichtbarkeit wird unterbrochen. In SISI nähert sich Frida Robles dem Sisi-Denkmal im Wiener Volksgarten und bedeckt es mit schwarzem Stoff. Ohne Erklärung, ohne Spektakel entsteht ein Moment der Irritation. Der Film fragt, wie Macht sich in Monumente einschreibt – und wie diese Bilder kurzzeitig entzogen werden können. Erinnerung erscheint hier nicht als Feier, sondern als bewusste Unterbrechung. Film: Mikal Maldoror Text & Performance: Frida Robles Kamera: Igor Ripak Musik: Marina Džukljev Ton: Audiomanufaktur Sound Design: Jan Vysocky Postproduktion: Licht & Linsen Eine Produktion der Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft · Brunnenpassage Wien Mit Unterstützung von Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse (CPPD), Zukunftsfonds der Republik Österreich und MA 7 – Kultur, Stadt Wien (EN) SISI Text & performance: Frida Robles A film essay by Mikal Maldoror Part of Breathing Spaces January 21 · Admiral Kino Vienna A simple gesture in public space: A monument is covered. Imperial visibility is interrupted. In SISI, Frida Robles approaches the Empress Elisabeth monument in Vienna’s Volksgarten and veils it with black fabric. Without explanation or spectacle, the film questions how power is inscribed in monuments – and how such images can be temporarily withdrawn. Memory appears here not as celebration, but as interruption. Film: Mikal Maldoror Text & performance: Frida Robles Camera: Igor Ripak Music: Marina Džukljev Sound: Audiomanufaktur Sound design: Jan Vysocky Post-production: Licht & Linsen A production of Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft · Brunnenpassage Vienna Supported by the Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse (CPPD), Austrian Future Fund and MA 7 – Department of Culture, City of Vienna (BHS) SISI Tekst i performans: Frida Robles Filmski esej Mikala Maldorora Dio programa Breathing Spaces 21.1. · Admiral kino, Beč Photo (c) @igorripakphotography

(DE) THE WOUND Text & Performance: Frida Robles Ein Filmessay von Mikal Maldoror Teil von Breathing Spaces 21.1. · Admiral Kino Wien Gedreht in den Ruinen der ehemaligen Incel-Fabrik in Banja Luka, nähert sich The Wound dem Körper als Träger von Geschichte. Haut, Staub und Beton werden zu Speicherorten von Gewalt und Verlust. Aus dem Off liest Frida Robles ihren Text über die Wunde – als Schnitt, als Erinnerung, als etwas, das bleibt. Bild und Stimme bewegen sich zwischen Nähe und Distanz. Die Wunde erscheint nicht als abgeschlossenes Trauma, sondern als offener Zustand. Film: Mikal Maldoror Text & Performance: Frida Robles Kamera: Dalibor Danilović Schnitt: Ali Amiri Musik: Marina Džukljev Sound Design: Jan Vysocky Grading: Tilman Rödiger Postproduktion: Licht & Linsen Eine Produktion der Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft · Brunnenpassage Wien Mit Unterstützung von CPPD, Zukunftsfonds der Republik Österreich und MA 7 Wien --- (EN) THE WOUND Text & performance: Frida Robles A film essay by Mikal Maldoror Part of Breathing Spaces January 21 · Admiral Kino Vienna Filmed in the ruins of the former Incel factory in Banja Luka, The Wound approaches the body as a carrier of history. Skin, dust, and concrete become archives of violence and loss. In voice-over, Frida Robles reads her text on the wound — as a cut, as memory, as something that persists. The wound is shown not as a closed trauma, but as an ongoing condition. Film: Mikal Maldoror Text & performance: Frida Robles Camera: Dalibor Danilović Edit: Ali Amiri Music: Marina Džukljev Sound Design: Jan Vysocky Grading: Tilman Rödiger Post-production: Licht & Linsen --- (BHS) THE WOUND Filmski esej Mikala Maldorora Tekst i performans: Frida Robles Snimljen u ruševinama bivše fabrike Incel u Banjoj Luci, The Wound pristupa tijelu kao nosiocu historije. Koža, prašina i beton postaju arhivi nasilja i gubitka. U offu Frida Robles čita tekst o rani – kao rezu i sjećanju koje traje. Rana se ne prikazuje kao zatvorena trauma, već kao otvoreno stanje. Stills © Mikal Maldoror, Dalibor Danilović

(DE) Frida Robles ist Künstlerin, Autorin und Kuratorin. Ihre Arbeit bewegt sich zwischen Text, Performance und räumlicher Geste und versteht Erinnerung als körperlich, fragil und politisch. Orte und öffentliche Räume werden zu Schauplätzen, an denen Geschichte befragt wird. In Breathing Spaces verbindet Frida Robles zwei Filme: THE WOUND und SISI. Beide Arbeiten setzen am Körper und im öffentlichen Raum an und untersuchen, wie Gewalt, koloniale Kontinuitäten und imperiale Bilder in Architektur und Monumenten fortwirken. Ihre Praxis arbeitet mit Reduktion, Stille und präziser Geste. Teil von Breathing Spaces, 21.1.2026, Admiral Kino Wien. Eine Produktion der Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft, Brunnenpassage Wien. Mit Unterstützung von Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse (CPPD) und der Abteilung Kultur, Kulturinitiativen der Stadt Wien. (EN) Frida Robles is an artist, writer, and curator working across text, performance, and spatial intervention. Her practice approaches memory as embodied and political, questioning how history is inscribed in places and public space. In Breathing Spaces, she connects two films: THE WOUND and SISI. Both works begin from the body and public space, examining how violence, colonial continuities, and imperial imagery persist in architecture and monuments. Her work favors reduction, silence, and precise gesture. Part of Breathing Spaces, January 21, 2026, Admiral Kino Vienna. A production of Initiative Erinnern in Zukunft, Brunnenpassage Vienna. Supported by the Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse (CPPD) and the City of Vienna, Department of Culture, Cultural Initiatives. (BHS) Frida Robles je umjetnica, autorica i kustosica čiji se rad kreće između teksta, performansa i prostorne geste. Njena praksa promišlja sjećanje kao tjelesno i političko, ispitujući kako se historija upisuje u mjesta i javni prostor. U okviru Breathing Spaces povezuje dva filma: THE WOUND i SISI. Oba rada polaze od tijela i javnog prostora te istražuju kako nasilje, kolonijalni kontinuiteti i imperijalne slike opstaju kroz arhitekturu i spomenike. Njena praksa se oslanja na redukciju, tišinu i preciznu gestu. Poster: Ivan Antunović