Andrew Thomas Huang puts visuals and identity to song

Houston is welcoming the Grammy-nominated figure behind the music videos of Björk and FKA twigs on June 27.
A visual artist and filmmaker, Andrew Thomas Huang will be a part of an inaugural HTX MADE Presents artist series. The event will run from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Moody Center For the Arts, and will present Huang’s works followed by a Q&A.
Huang’s appearance at the school is part of the Liu Distinguished Visitor Series, a program under the Chao Center for Asian Studies. The panelists joining Huang in a Q&A are also from Rice; Will Rice College sophomore Chi Pham is an intern with the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA), and Michael Robinson, the founder of the Big Queer Queer Picture show, is a Rice Film alum.
The creator of HTX MADE Films, Li Lu said that she hopes that through this event Huang can generate deeper insight into what it means to be an artist in Houston.
“HTX MADE Presents is inviting artists, filmmakers, creative folks from outside of Houston who want to authentically engage with Houston,” Lu said. “There’s something really important about bringing people physically to our communities, for them to experience what's here, and therefore experience what local artists are trying to create.”
HTX MADE Presents is a subsection of HTX MADE, an organization that depicts the wealth of creative talent in Houston. HTX MADE serves as a pipeline for artists to bring exposure to their work. One example is “The Strike,” which is a feature documentary that was shown at Rice Cinema in February and was organized by Marc Armeña, the program coordinator for HTX MADE.
Armeña is collaborating with Lu for this event. Since much of Huang’s work centers his Asian American identity, Armeña sought out germane Houston creative organizations, such as the HAAA.
The event will be held at the Moody Center’s Lois Chiles Studio Theater. Doors open at 7 p.m., and discounted parking for $6 is available in West Lot 4. RSVPs are recommended, as space is limited to 150 participants.
Lu said that she hopes attendees can experience horizontal conversations on Friday — ones where panelists, guests and Huang can discuss his works as equals.
“I'm looking forward to a very generative and very kind of communal atmosphere where it's not just about a one directionality of experts and audience,” Lu said. “It's really about trying to meet each other and see the commonalities in our creative process.”
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