MAINSTAGE PRESENTATION

1..Artivism
Daniel Arzola, 2024 Krider Prize for Creativity Recipient
Presented by the UCDA Foundation

Daniel Arzola’s Artivism tells the story of how an art student became the creator of the first LGBTQ+ campaign to gain media attention in Venezuela. The #NoSoyTuChiste (#ImNotaJoke) campaign went viral between 2013 and 2014 and has since been exhibited in cities worldwide. Since its inception, it has continued to be displayed in public spaces such as bus stops, subway stations, galleries, museums, and parks. In 2014, Daniel Arzola's work was selected by Madonna for her Art for Freedom project. Arzola currently resides in Minneapolis, where he works as a Senior Graphic Designer for the University of Minnesota.

Daniel Arzola’s narrative serves as a queer testimony of Venezuela during the Chavista dictatorship, but it is also a testament to the power of art as a response to systematic violence. His Artivism talk explores the role of art in its capacity to communicate and the democratization of art in the face of repressive societies.