Avery Collins-Byrd

Avery Collins- Byrd (They/She) is from South Central California, and visits their family throughout the year in Houston, Texas, which has been an important part of their growing up. Community, family, and ancestry are at the center of their artistic and personal practices. Interested in thinking through how somatic and embodiment practices can be a form of resistance in the Black community, shifting colonial ideas of what the Black body and Black resistance are. Art is a tool for them to imagine realities that are not yet existent. They are an interdisciplinary artist working in performance, video, sound, ceramic, and writing. Their work focuses on the ways that folks encounter and communicate with one another, specifically focusing on how we encounter the Black femme body and experience. They are also interested in practicing an art practice that centers Black focused community work. They are currently in their fourth year at UCLA majoring in Fine Art. They have previously shown work at the Coaxial Foundation, New Wight UCLA gallery, and Williams and Clark Library, and Sovern LA.

2024: Quilt for Palestine Fundraiser

Friday, December 13, 2024 9PM–12AM
At FCCW: 3053 Rosslyn St. LA, CA 90065
Suggested donation sliding scale: $1-$25

Reflection of Space invites performers Avery Collins-Byrd, Jose, Eva Speiser, and Nube Cruz to share their work that encapsulates the way space changes the body. At times we do not notice the changes that our bodies morph through; like how our bodies change in weight by a small piece of lent tagging along with us from home. Or the way our body changes under the pressures of society, colonization, and capitalism. This will be an intimate viewing of performances, and we ask folks to be present for the duration of each performance. This show will also be a part of fundraising relief for Palestinians going through an extreme genocide of their bodies and Native lands.