Zander Porter is a US-American, Germany-based artist working between liveness and onlineness, manifesting physical, virtual, theatrical, and curatorial performances from mediated experiences of togetherness, identification, and (dis)embodiment. In their practice, Zander negotiates attention, gender, affect, subjectivity, and participation through an approach to popular/internet culture and commodity detritus with a mixture of curiosity, reverence, and skepticism. Materials develop from contexts of alias roleplay, including online reality TV competition games, MMOGs (massive multiplayer online games), Berghain, the (Californian) nuclear family, and anonymous-online intimacies. Zander is part of XenoEntities Network (XEN), a platform for discussion and experimentation focusing on intersections of queer, gender, and feminist studies with digital technologies.
“b.” Los Angeles
live/work Berlin
@email
education
2023 Master of Arts, Choreography // DAS Graduate School – AHK // Amsterdam, NL
2017 German // UCLA // Los Angeles, CA
2017 Bachelor of Arts, Art Studio (High Honors) // Wesleyan University // Middletown, CT
2015 Game Development // DIS // Copenhagen, DK
solo/duo
2020 Alien Intimacy // Studio ALTA // Prague, CZ
2020 Alien Intimacy // 289E // Ho Chi Minh City, VN
2020 the Zero // Vorspiel / transmediale & CTM 2020 // Berlin, DE
2017 I'm your pixelpleasure // Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery // Middletown, CT
group
2021 Tender Hotel // Grand re Union // Kraków, PL
2020 Melbourne Fringe Festival // Dancehouse // Melbourne, AU
2020 PROXY // Centro Cultural de España en Costa Rica // San José, CR
2020 What Remains // DFBRL8R // Chicago, IL
2020 New Sensibilities // Federal University of Santa Catarina // Florianópolis, BR
2020 Presentness // Estación Terrena // Bogotá, CO
2019 Natascha Sadr Haghighian presents Bad Muskau // Muskauer Straße // Berlin, DE
2019 Revis(ualis)ing Intersectionality // Humboldt Univ. + DeZIM-Institut // Berlin, DE
2019 What Do We Do Now? // Casino Notabile // Rabat, MT
2019 bitch2bitch // kit ket // Lisbon, PT
2019 Bring back reality, bring it back to you and me // AKC Medika // Zagreb, HR
2019 Digital Analogous // Spazio Tondelli // Riccione, IT
2019 Unsettling Time // Vanderbilt University // Nashville, TN
2019 User Preferences // the wrong biennale // London, UK
2019 #nfcdab // Recepcja // Wrocław, PL
2019 This is Not a Map // The Virtual Salon // Jerusalem, IL
2019 Clump International: Night of the Living Clump // TV // Berlin, DE
2019 Fierce Festival // Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery // Birmingham, UK
2019 Futures of Sexuality // TIFA Working Studios // Pune, IN
2019 Fuchsbau Festival // Lehrte // Hanover, DE
2019 Performing Arts Festival Berlin // Alte Münze // Berlin, DE
2019 Queer Intimacy and States of Emotion // Human Resources // Los Angeles, CA
2019 Psychedelic is the New Childhood // Pugnant Film Series // Athens, GR
2019 Trashxploitation Festival // Glory Hole 003 // Paris, FR
2019 Art, Not Apart // National Film & Sound Archive of Australia // Canberra, AU
2019 Queer B-Cademy: B-ing is B-lieving // Kampnagel // Hamburg, DE
2019 Creating Empathy // transmediale + Spektrum // Berlin, DE
2018 Dirty Debüt #3-snickers // Sophiensæle // Berlin, DE
2018 SCOPES // Gartenstraße 6 // Berlin, DE
2018 Welt ohne Außen // Gropius Bau // Berlin, DE
2018 Personae – Behavior and Authenticity // 48 Stunden Neukölln // Berlin, DE
2018 Olympia Bukkakis presents Fancy: Hope // LUDWIG // Berlin, DE
2018 Rabbit Hole presents: Y2K+18: the millennium bug reaches majority // Anjos70 // Lisbon, PT
2017 Weirdo Night! with Dynasty Handbag // Zebulon // Los Angeles, CA
2017 TransFest // The Byre Theatre // St. Andrews, UK
2017 Out There // Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825 // Los Angeles, CA
2017 Thesis Art Exhibition // Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery // Middletown, CT
2017 Metamorphoses // Davison Art Center // Middletown, CT
2016 Kembra Pfahler presents Incarnata Social Club // Berlin // New York City, NY
2015 CHANA//刹那 // Eclectic Society // Middletown, CT
talking/sharing
2020 “Dance (Lens) – Dance Films with Artist Q&As” // Dancehouse // Melbourne, AU
2020 “Codpiece: Artists Discussion w/ Sandra Johnston & Zander Porter” // University of Warwick // Coventry, UK
2020 “Workshop with James Batchelor / Alien Intimacy Performance” // Bangkok Dance Academy // Bangkok, TH
2019 “Rethinking Ecological Practices” // SPACE10 // Copenhagen, DK
2019 “27 Thoughts on Climate Change and Technology” // Fuchsbau Festival // Hanover, DE
2019 “Politics of Love #5: Accountability / Verantwortung” // Sophiensæle // Berlin, DE
2019 “Queer Rave-Time: DJ Sezzo & Brooke Powers” // Hares & Hyenas // Melbourne, AU
2019 “Cinema Conversación LGBTQ* – Zander Porter” // SomoS // Berlin, DE
2019 “Do you see me?” // University of the Arts Bremen // Bremen, DE
2018 “Future Memories” // Institute for Art & Art Theory of the University of Cologne // Cologne, DE
2018 “Trans*/Matter/Realities and Queer Political Imaginings” // Gropius Bau // Berlin, DE
writing
2020 “the Zero TreeMap” // This Container
2017 “[ A conversation* with Gregg Bordowitz ]” // tir journal
2017 “I-Be Area / Eye-Was Camera: Dancing Identities and Other Edits” // Intercut
curatorial
2020 The Berlin Sessions: ClumpTV // KW Institute for Contemporary Art // Berlin, DE
2019 Chaat Meets… with Shraddha Borawake // SomoS // Berlin, DE
2019 Anti-hijacking Dream Lab // Uferstudios für zeitgenössischen Tanz // Berlin, DE
2019 Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin // ACUD MACHT NEU // Berlin, DE
2019 Affect/Effect: Performance Prosthesis // Vorspiel / transmediale & CTM 2019 // Berlin, DE
2018 Infrared Dreams in Times of Transparency // Spektrum // Berlin, DE
2018 Prototypes: Quantum leaps in trans-semiotics // Spektrum // Berlin, DE
2018 (A) Dark Room Space // Agora // Berlin, DE
2018 queer_tech_camp: Strategies in Techno-performance // Spektrum // Berlin, DE
2018 Inhumanism: Anil Bawa-Cavia & Patricia Reed // Spektrum // Berlin, DE
2017 Donna Haraway: Story Telling for Earthly Survival // Spektrum // Berlin, DE
award + residency
2021 SACi-E / National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
2020 Up People’s Choice Award Melbourne Fringe
2020 Atelierhaus Prenzlauer Promenade
2020 Trauma Bar und Kino Movement Residency
2020 Cité internationale des arts
2019 Akademie Schloss Solitude Web Residencies Shortlist
2018 Dirty Debüt
2017 Elizabeth Verveer Tishler Prize
2017 Phi Beta Kappa
2008 Virtual Magic Kingdom Best Guest Room Award
bibliog.
2020 James Batchelor: An Evening-length Performance // Bruges Royal City Theatre
2020 Jeremy Wade: Oh Lovely Appearance of Death // HAU Hebbel am Ufer
2020 Alien Intimacy – Doteky z jiného vesmíru // Taneční aktuality
2020 Various Artists – Transcendental Movements Vol. 1 // IDO Records
2020 “Fierce Festival 2019 the Movie” // Fierce Festival TV
2019 “Exploring sexuality and identity through art” // STIRworld
2019 “Comment le « collectif » change l'art d'aujourd'hui” // Le Quotidien de l’Art
2019 “Let the Sunshine In” // The Indian Express
2019 Jeremy Wade: Technologies of Impossible Repair // Haus der Kulturen der Welt
2019 Britta Thie: Favorites // Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Wien
2019 The Parliament of Bodies: Jeremy Wade // Bergen Assembly
2019 HIAP Open Studios: Andrey Bogush // Helsinki International Artist Programme
2019 “ADHD Penetration [trailer]” // Contemporary Cruising
2019 Max Göran: TRUE FOX/when foxes die they go wild wild west // Berlin University of the Arts
2019 Maciej Sado: Anydog cont. // STUDIO teatrgaleria
2019 “XenoEntities Network, Collective practice towards the digital future” // CLOT Magazine
2019 “Sophiensæle Panel on Diversifying Berlin’s Art Scene” // KALTBLUT Magazine
2019 Atelierstipendium: Jessyca R. Hauser // BKA Residency Tokyo
2018 James Batchelor: Cosmic Ballroom // CSC Centro per la Scena Contemporanea Bassano del Grappa
2018 Ewa Dziarnowska: pearls before swine // PS120
2018 “Or Food That is Not for Thought” // Max Wallenhorst
2018 Holly Herndon & Mathew Dryhurst: Chain Opera // The New Infinity – New art for planetariums
2018 Reza Mirabi: PURPOSE next // Agora
2018 Kristian Vistrup Madsen: "Why I Can't Write Fiction" // Biskops Arnö Nordens
2018 Singularity (And Ready to Mingle) // Olympia Bukkakis
2018 Prototypes // Doireann O’Malley
2018 Reza Mirabi + Roland Walter: Immersive Mediation // Sophiensæle
2017 Sasha Rudensky: Acts and Illusions // Davison Art Center
2017 “Tawksick (feat. Z)” // umami goddess™
2017 “I'm your pixelpleasure review” // Greg Goldberg
2017 Triple Cone Magazine // Emily Monforte & Alex Pabarcius
2017 “Week 1 of Art Theses Experiments with Concrete, Light, and Scent” // The Wesleyan Argus
2016 This is Intentional // Keren Alshanetsky & Rick Hong Manayan
2015 Limanora // Zach Carlson
2014 Analog // Kaitlin Chan
2008 “VMK Club 33 Parties – Prediction & Freshy” // Cherishina