Miracles on 163rd

2001, Video, 25:00 [clip]

by Ho Tam

Miracles on 163rd is a documentary video about a friend's Christmas party in the Washington Heights neighbourhood of New York City where the artist had resided for some years. Presented in real time and without the artist's commentary, the video functions almost like an ethnographic study of race, gender and sexual politics. In a way, it simulates the wandering eyes of the artist in an environment consisting of mostly African or Latino American males. It also poses questions on the role of the artist and explores who is the outsider in such a situation. In addition, the decoration of the apartment is itself a study on the queer aesthetics, taking the viewers to look at how art and kitsch functions in everyday life.

ISBN 978-1-55467-214-1