Strategic Defense Mechanisms

Strategic Defense Mechanisms with Demian DinéYazhi

Come join us for an exciting lecture with Demian DinéYazhi, hosted by Carlos Motta and Project Third at Pratt Fine Arts MFA Studios at Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

This in-person gathering is an exciting opportunity to learn about Demian DinéYazhi's practice. Don't miss out on this chance to enhance your knowledge and connect with like-minded artists!

Demian DinéYazhi is an Indigenous Diné transdisciplinary artist born to the clans Naasht'ézhí Tábaahá (Zuni Clan Water's Edge) and Todich'linii (Bitter Water) living in Portland, OR. DinéYazhi highlights the intersections of Radical Indigenous Queer Feminist ideology while challenging the white noise of contemporary art. Their work refuses colonial and professional etiquette while interrogating the irresponsible state of the Arts Industrial Complex. Their art practice enacts a transdisciplinary strategy through vibrant, radiating neon signs; letterpress posters reimagined from social media posts; self-published books printed collaboratively with BIPOC communities; or endurance performances and sonic collaborations that unsettle remnants of colonial assimilative conditioning that is stored in the body. Working in this manner honors ancestral traditions of Survivance, migration, and revolutionary histories tied to the resiliency of Indigenous, Trans, 2Spirit, and Queer communities. They have recently exhibited at Hessel Museum of Art, Honolulu Biennial, Biennale of Sydney, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Wexner Center for the Arts, Whitney Museum of American Art, Henry Art Gallery, Pioneer Works, and CANADA, NY. They are the author of Ancestral Memory, An Infected Sunset, and We Left Them Nothing. DinéYazhi´ will also be exhibiting new work in this year's Whitney Biennial: Even Better Than the Real Thing.

Project Third (P3) is a Pratt Fine Arts forum for students, visiting artists, academics, and activists whose work is research-based, socially engaged, and politically involved. P3 seeks to promote substantial interdisciplinary collaborations between Pratt’s Fine Arts and other departments, as well as meaningful collaborations with communities outside Pratt Institute. P3’s multiple programs include artist residencies, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, performances, lectures, and student-led engagements.

P3’s mission is to offer Pratt Institute’s students and its larger communities access to visiting artists, academics, activists, and others whose practices are motivated by the desire to instigate social and cultural change. Since 2020, P3 has presented a number of initiatives, programs, artists, and events that seek to foreground Indigenous pedagogies and practices. Shawn Wilson, Nadia McLaren, Emily Johnson, Joseph Pierce, New Red Order, Laura Ortman, and others have visited to present work and create meaningful exchanges that center Indigenous voices.

IMPORTANT ACCESS INFORMATION
Access to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Dock 72 is restricted ONLY to those with an ID card or a visitor pass. All who RSVP here will receive an email with information on how to get their Visitor QR Code Pass, which will be issued the morning of the event.

You will need to save your email to access the building and the event.

You will receive a digital QR pass via email that will appear in your inbox as: DOCK 72 Visitor Check-in Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024 from [email protected]. Please check your SPAM folder if you cannot locate it. NO PASS = NO ACCESS. This pass will be good for the date of the event only.

FINDING DOCK 72

Dock72 is here: 1 Dock 72 Way, Brooklyn, NY 11205

You will first use your pass to enter the Brooklyn Navy Yard at whichever gate is convenient. You can come by taxi (showing your pass to the guard to enter) but if you drive, you will need to park OUTSIDE the Navy Yard and walk in. There is NO parking at Dock 72.

NOTE: While there is no on-site parking; taxi/ride share drop-off is permitted. Additionally, the building is situated next to the NYC Ferry, Citibike, and there are shuttles available on-site to and from MTA subways stops. For more info, please visit

- When you arrive at Dock 72, enter the Lobby and then use your pass at ELEVATOR BANK C, which is the last elevator bank right at the end of the lobby (past the lobby cafe, near the exit door at the very end)- At the elevator bank, select Floor 3 on the digital pad which will then indicate which elevator to take.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1 Dock 72 Way, Brooklyn, United States