This week Texas Review Press releases In & Out of Place, the latest performance memoir by Black feminist performance artist, poet, and Creative Writing faculty Gabrielle Civil.
To celebrate the book’s publication, Civil reads excerpts from In & Out of Place at an event this Saturday, Sept. 21, at 2220 Arts + Archives in Los Angeles. She will be joined by guest artists Marco Villalobos and fellow School of Critical Studies faculty Rosa Evangelina (Music, Critical Studies MFA 22).
In & Out of Place compiles diary entries, performance texts, images, and reflections from Civil’s time creating Black feminist performance art during her Fulbright fellowship in Mexico (2008-09). From engaging with locals on topics like “good hair” to encounters with Black expatriate artist Elizabeth Catlett, the memoir captures Civil’s artistic process, highlighting her evolving perspective on identity, heritage, and cultural expression.
Artist Chloë Bass praises In & Out of Place:
In and Out of Place is like catching a rainbow between your hands: What does it mean to capture impossible thresholds of the self? of lived and ephemeral artistic practice? of a place and time in transition? Gabrielle Civil intertwines knowing and not knowing, logging her daily life in Mexico alongside the imagined chronicle of the forgotten (or unwritten, or unrevealed). This book is half of every conversation you wish you could know more of—now you can, just lean in.
Known for her innovative performance works, Civil has premiered more than 40 original solo and collaborative pieces across the globe. Her performances often center around themes of Black identity, feminist theory, and personal exploration, pushing the boundaries of traditional performance art. Civil’s previous works include Swallow the Fish (2017), Experiments in Joy (2019), and the deja vu (2022).
