Queer Creativity: Vita Kari and Demetre Durham on The Q Agenda

In a new episode of The Q Agenda, we had the pleasure of sitting down with two fantastic guests you won’t want to miss!

Tune in to the new episode of “The Q Agenda” on the LATV+ App and watch the full episode starring Vita Kari and Demetre Durham!

First up, we have Vita Kari, a visual artist from Los Angeles, CA. Vita is well-known for their immersive art space called “Vitawood” and their amazing illusion-centered video work. Their art dives into big themes like digital identity, commercialism, queerness, and diaspora. They’ve performed in major cities like LA, New York, and Miami, and their work has been showcased in group exhibitions such as “MFA’s of LA” at Goodmother Gallery and “THE NEW CATHEDRALS” at Yiwei Gallery.

Exploring Identity and Creativity with Vita Kari and Demetre Durham on The Q Agenda

Vita’s work has caught the eye of many top publications including Forbes, Artnet, Interview Magazine, Gay Times, and Jezebel. They’ve also collaborated with big names like Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Levi, Warby Parker, PUMA, Savage x Fenty by Rihanna, Bratz, and Adult Swim. They opened VITAWOOD LA, a community art space that provides a platform for queer artists to host workshops and events.

Currently, Vita is an MFA candidate at Otis College of Art and Design and recently gave an artist talk at UCLA. During our interview, Vita shared some fascinating insights into their creative process, especially the kind of content and videos they make for the internet. They talked about how they play with printed images to create realistic effects on phone cameras, making viewers pause and think critically about what they’re seeing.

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A post shared by Vita Kari (@vitakari)

“In these videos, I was really interested in exploring what can stop a viewer in the tracks and make them want to look at a video critically and be like ‘wow, what did I just experience?’ and just pause. Because I’m the biggest consumer of online media and I’m a chronically online person. And I think there is a lot that we can learn from the internet like queer identity. So I really thought about it, what could be the interruption? And there is no reason why that should function on the internet!.”

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Vita also discussed the challenges of constantly creating viral content and how they make it easier and more accessible. They highlighted the importance of their personal journey through art school and how their queerness has influenced their work. Vita believes that performing gender in various ways and being part of the trans and queer community has allowed them to be more creative and resourceful.

“I think a lot of people in the community have the gift of, when they have limited resources, changing into something exciting. But also, if you have experienced the performance of your own gender, you are creative.”

Joining Vita is our second guest, Demetre Durham, also known simply as “Demetre.” This multi-talented artist is a cartoonist, actor, dancer, pin maker, and hair influencer. His queer voice and talents are shaking things up in Hollywood’s creative circles. Demetre’s first love was always drawing, so he’s very excited about his upcoming comic book, “Titan Up,” which features Black and Brown superheroes fighting Greek mythological characters in a modern setting.

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A post shared by Demetre Durham (@your.royal.freshness)

Demetre has also appeared on TV with roles in “Pieces” and “Dancers for Sale.” On his social platforms, he embraces all aspects of his identity, both personally and professionally. Demetre’s mission is to reach as many people as possible with his art and to inspire others to follow their creative passions.