The Unsinkable

The Unsinkable recalls the descend and the ascension of a familial matriarch formally named Deloris Bell a.k.a. Granny Glen. A kindred spirit of z, Deloris disappears as the submissive ghost in this work. As z attempts to tame the phantom with domestic duties, Deloris trains a tranny (z) with her labor that went unrecognized. Through this recognition there is an acknowledgment of personal histories and their tethering to the divine feminine. The Unsinkable welcomes the opportunity to uncover the covered by memorializing the memory of the subconscious. These memories thrive on structure, but can only exist within the concept of a helping hand. Witnesses are encouraged to help get this house in order.

2024, The Kitchen at Westbeth, New York, NY

Photos by Cherylynn Tsushima. Courtesy of The Kitchen.

American idoll

American idoll is a series of public interventions in response to the introduction of anti-trans legislation across the USA. American idoll also acts as a memorial for those who have died in disservice from our country by reclaiming the “13 Folds of Glory” ritual (The American Flag Folding Ceremony). The interventions uplift folx of trans and queer experience by radical acts of public displays of affection.

photos courtesy of Matias Alvial

2023, Boffo Gala at The Park Lane Hotel/Central Park, New York, NY

Iterations of American idoll have also been performed at:

2023, Danspace, New York, NY

2023, MQBMBQ/Villa Lena, Tuscany, Italy

2023, Lotto Royale, New York, NY

2023, Movement Research At Judson Memorial Church, New York, NY

2023, Untitled Art Fair, Miami, FL

The Available Bodies

The Available Bodies builds on an ongoing performance series born from artist z tye’s reaction to the growing number of trans/gender non-comforming fatalities in America. As tye began conducting interviews on the subject with friends of trans experience, they responded to questions including: What did your safe space look like during adolescence? Was the church advertised as a safe house during that time? What does “realness” mean to you? How do you respond to the national genocide of TGNC folks? With 2021 being the highest number reported in years (57 trans/gender non-conforming people killed by violent means), The Available Bodies provides opportunities to fellowship in shared experiences through movement, spoken word, and sound making. Throughout the performance, the artists use red tape to create a landscape of safe space for trans ancestors to enter the ritual. During this manifestation, artist z tye works through a sequence of practices learned in the Pentecostal denomination and attempts to use them to conjure ancestors taken from this community too soon. Audience members are invited to hold solidarity as the performers create an immersive congregation feeling during the initiation of their salvation.

2022, The Shed, New York, NY

BMW Concept XM x Art Basel MIA

BMW Concept XM x Art Basel MIA was the premiere of the standalone concept vehicle by BMW. z tye was commissioned to ignite performance with a migratory experience responding to sculptor Kennedy Yanko’s work and opening for rapper NAS.

special thanks to Raul Lopez of LUAR for costume design

2021, 1111 Lincoln Miami Beach, FL

5 Indices On A Tortured Body

In conjunction with the exhibition, Wardell Milan: Amerika. God Bless You If It's Good to You, is a series of performances collaboratively conceived by the artist, choreographed by z tye, and engages a set of sculptures created by artist Billy Ray Morgan for the exhibition. Titled 5 Indices on a Tortured Body, this performance series is presented in five acts taking place throughout the duration of the exhibition: The Black Male Body, The Female Body, The Trans Body, The Migrant Body, and the Quarantine Body.

2021, Bronx Museum of Arts, New York, NY

photos courtesy of Savion “Bones” Spellman

Trans Baptism

Trans Baptism is an ancestral blessing of two trans disciples and a purification of heteronormative upbringing. With the help of another trans identified person, z attempts to cleanse the body of cisgender assignments in hopes of realigning their spirit, while strengthening bonds between fallen trans ancestors.

special thanks to Papi Juice for sound

Queer Offering II: Holding Space for Weeping Flesh

Queer Offering II: Holding Space for Weeping Flesh

-bereavement through meditation on the 44 reported trans/gender non-conforming fatalities in America in 2020. Stop killing us. Rest In Peace: Dustin Parker, Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, Yampi Méndez Arocho, Scott/Scottlynn Kelly DeVore, Monika Diamond, Lexi, Johanna Metzger, Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, Layla Pelaez Sánchez, Penélope Díaz Ramírez, Nina Pop, Helle Jae O’Regan, Tony McDade, Dominique “Rem'mie” Fells, Riah Milton, Jayne Thompson, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, Brian “Egypt” Powers, Brayla Stone, Merci Mack, Shaki Peters, Bree Black, Summer Taylor, Marilyn Cazares, Dior H Ova, Queasha D Hardy, Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears, Lea Rayshon Daye, Kee Sam, Aerrion Burnett, Mia Green, Michelle Michellyn Ramos Vargas, Felycya Harris, Brooklyn Deshuna, Sara Blackwood, Angel Unique, Skylar Heath, Yunieski Carey Herrera, Asia Jynae Foster, Chae’Meshia Simms, Kimberly Fial (after filming of performance/not pictured): Jaheim Pugh Jakeim Barbie, Courtney “Eshay” Key, and Alexandria Winchester.

2021 has already seen at least 5 reported trans/gender non-conforming fatalities in America and it’s only Feburary. Say their names: Tyianna Alexander, Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin, Bianca “Muffin” Bankz, Dominique Jackson, and Fifty Bandz. STOP KILLING US.

special thanks to Anthony Fernandez on lighting design/production assistance and Helen Franco on costuming/production assistance

Our Valence

Our Valence is a performance-driven installation comprised of exotic florals, organic material, found metal and paint skins, and narrative bodily movement. It is a somaesthetic enactment of creating the indivisible: building the building blocks of matter. This room represents the personifying moment when seemingly opposite forces harmonize. Our Valence exists as the repetitive moment that begins and ends again and again. It must occur before life can be seen, felt, heard, or perceived as a whole. ⁠

Here, corporal sensation and its accompanying ricochet of human phenomena remind viewers of their potential for an ever-expanding spectrum of experience. This space, designated for self-experimentation, is where intellectualization rests, gazes at, and learns from its proprioceptive counterpart: intuition.

Our Valence is a collaborative effort by metal sculptor Kennedy Yanko, botanical sculptor Lutfi Janania, and z tye

Available Bodies

Available Bodies is a part of a performance series on viewing the body as a form of entertainment. This iteration is devoted to comparing gender identifications and their psychological impact. This work particularly studies cisgender, non-binary, and transgender people of color. Available Bodies researches androgynous behaviors, gender dysphoria, and heteronormative discourse. These concepts reveal the opportunity to alter sexual anatomy. Two performers take viewers on a journey of gender discovery to reveal the importance of the mind-body interdependence. In their own transformations, we will have the chance to connect with the anatomical differences while associating emotional similarities.

Duration 60 minutes

Available Bodies (prequel/initiation)

Available Bodies prequel/initiation is a part of a performance series on viewing the body as a form of entertainment. This iteration is devoted to comparing gender identifications and their psychological impact. This work particularly studies cisgender, non-binary, and transgender people of color. Available Bodies prequel/initiation researches androgynous behaviors, gender dysphoria, and heteronormative discourse. Sixteen QPOC come together to provide viewers with a queer activation of the space while standing in solidarity.

Black Parade

Black Parade is a proclamation of African American elation and an antagonistic view of the conventional “angry black attitude”. This work investigates the camaraderie in a neighborhood of people coming together to celebrate a legacy and show gratitude for accomplishments in their culture. As a consequence, youth dance troupes used rhythm to express the glorification of the black body. Black Parade is a response to the kinesthetic representation of public movement in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade held in Lakeland, Florida.

2019, Gibney New York, NY

Queer Offering I

Queer Offering I is a performance series committed to bringing attention to different traumas endured by the LGBTQIA+ community. This particular iteration recalls childhood homophobia from the Deep South of Florida and Georgia. Referencing the slur, “he got a little sugar in his tank”, the performance has multiple relationships with materials such as sugar, sweet tea, a cassette player, plato, a gas tank, and a staircase installation.

Duration 20 minutes

“Fruitcake”

“Fruitcake” is an experimental performance researching the relationship between kindred spirits. The performer relates to his subject through the decorum of the Deep South. This piece delves into the psychological perspective of one presenting a facade in public and living their truest form in privacy. With these traits, movement develops from gestures, demeanor, and style from the subject. 
 
Duration 60 minutes
In collaboration with Billy Ray Morgan

Available Body

Available Body is an interpersonal performance shedding light on the dichotomy of the female and male anatomy. This exploration displays the feminine body parts while sourcing a masculine perspective. The body’s composition continues to be used as a form of entertainment and this inevitability will come to pass.