Zach Blackwood

“As a viewer and producer of performance art, I try to be as generous and empathetic as possible. As a writer dealing in questions of identity, I try to drill the reader with this reminder: the target can and will shoot back.”

Zach Blackwood is an artist and performance curator based in Philadelphia since 2010. In both his curatorial work and personal practice, Zach seeks to raise up play and discovery. As a writer, his work shows daily life and pop culture through the lens of abstract theory to strip away high art. Currently, he is working on the follow-up to his 2019 chapbook, Sexy Unique Hollowpoint. An upcoming project involves crafting alternative text for the visually-impaired and others who use screen readers. As an artistic producer at FringeArts, Zach is dedicated to supporting work that reflects the community in which we live, and is also accessible to those facing oppression and suppression. Through partnerships with events like Halloqweens and AltSlut69, Zach is working to continue FringeArts' legacy as a permissive gathering space for the queer community. He also serves as Events Coordinator for Voicemail Poems, an online magazine that highlights the intimate and raw voices of new and established writers of all styles. 

What big ideas have propelled your career?

“In my practice, I'm always learning and relearning about the relationship between the viewer and the viewed--particularly holding both a writing and producing practice alongside one another. I think the authority each party holds in that exchange remains particularly exciting in its tension. As a viewer and producer of performance, I try to be as generous and empathetic as possible. As a writer dealing in questions of identity, I try to drill reminders for the reader: the target can and will shoot back.”

biography:

Zach Blackwood is an artist and performance curator based in Philadelphia since 2010. In both his curatorial work and personal practice, Blackwood seeks to privilege play and discovery. As a writer, his work is predicated on refracting daily life and pop culture through the lens of abstract theory to denude resonance between high art discourse and "quotidian" culture, including QTPOC nightlife and reality television. Blackwood is currently working on the follow-up to his 2019 chapbook, SEXY UNIQUE HOLLOW POINT and an upcoming project focused on crafting alt text for popular memes for visually-impaired users and others who might use screen readers to interface with the Internet. As an Artistic Producer at FringeArts, he is dedicated to supporting work that both reflects the community we live in, and is accessible to those populations among us most vulnerable to systems of oppression and suppression. Through partnerships with events like Halloqweens and AltSlut69, Blackwood is working to continue FringeArts' legacy as a permissive gathering space for the queer community. Blackwood also serves as Events Coordinator for Voicemail Poems, an online magazine that highlights the intimate and raw voices of new and established writers of all styles. Poets submit to the magazine by reading their work to a voicemail box. Voicemail Poems is open for rolling submissions now at (910)-703-POEM.