Screening:
Marlis Momber
Viva Loisaida
29 March, 7 pm
In English
Moderation: Agustín Pérez Rubio
Location: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Pogo Bar
RSVP: reservation@kw-berlin.de
Martin Wong, Mrs. Liberty Face, 1990, Acryl auf Leinwand, 80,1 x 118,11 cm, Courtesy die Martin Wong Foundation und P.P.O.W, New York, und Galerie Buchholz © Martin Wong Foundation
As part of the accompanying program of Martin Wong – Malicious Mischief, KW Institute for Contemporary Art is pleased to present a screening of the groundbreaking documentary Viva Loisaida (1978) by photographer and filmmaker Marlis Momber. Viva Loisaida portrays the Lower East Side of New York’s Manhattan and carefully chronicles the life of the director and fellow immigrants, depicting a vibrant, diverse, but also decaying, neighbourhood of thriving creativity that fights gentrification.
Agustín Pérez Rubio, co-curator of Martin Wong – Malicious Mischief, will introduce and contextualize Viva Loisaida. The screening will be followed by an Q&A.
Born in 1943 in Berlin, Germany, Marlis Momber has lived in Loisaida since 1975. Her photographs document the struggle of the mostly Puerto Rican people living in that part of Manhattan. Her B&W and Color Photographs have been used to illustrate national and international publications on political and cultural topics such as: gentrification, urban development, slum lords/arson for profit, squatting, affordable housing/homesteading, cultural identity, education, the arts, drugs and urban crime.
Founded in 1978, Loisaida, Inc. is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary community development organization located in the Lower East Side area of Lower Manhattan known as Loisaida, East Village or Alphabet City. Loisaida expands on its original mission to further highlight the cultural heritage, history and contributions made by Latinx, Black, Asian American and immigrant communities in New York City focusing on producing place-keeping programs, collaborations and activities for our intergenerational community. Loisaida, Inc. offers accessible arts & cultural programs and initiatives at the intersection of media, technology, social and environmental justice.