Claiming the Body: John Killacky with Megan Voeller

John Killacky, Corpus (video still), 2025. Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Artist, advocate, and former legislator John Killacky joins writer and curator Megan Voeller for an intimate conversation on embodiment, disability, chronic pain, grief, and activism in his work. Reflecting on his residency at FWM, Killacky will share insights into his creative process, the materials and discoveries that shaped his new work, stillpoint (2023), and the deep collaboration that defined his studio experience.

The discussion will be framed around screenings of three of Killacky’s video works: Dreaming Awake (2003, 5m 30s), exploring his evolving understanding of disability and intimacy; Stolen Shadows (1995, 10m 25s), reflecting on his activism during the AIDS crisis; and the premiere of CORPUS (2025, 6m 41s), a meditation on creative resistance in today’s political climate.

Through film, storytelling, and dialogue, Claiming the Body invites us to consider how art can reclaim, memorialize, and reimagine the self in the face of transformation.

Organized in conjunction with the exhibition, Soft/Cover.