I’ve been saying all along that F5 will be full of creative collisions—moments of lasting insight and inspiration that occur when you venture outside your comfort zone and smash into something unexpected.
That’s exactly why I’m so excited to announce the final two speakers in F5’s already eclectic lineup: Rachel Maddow and Charlie White.
RACHEL MADDOW
If you’re at all politically inclined, you’ve at least heard of Rachel Maddow. You probably know that The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC has been a stellar success, dethroning Larry King at the same time slot and sending a much-needed thrill through the world of cable news.
But I think the best introduction to Rachel comes from her official site:
Rachel has a doctorate in political science (she was a Rhodes Scholar) and a background in HIV/AIDS activism and prison reform. She shakes a mean cocktail, drives a bright red pickup, hates Coldplay, loves arguing with conservatives, spends a lot of money on AMTRAK tickets, and dresses like a first-grader.
Rachel is a maverick of the highest caliber. And that makes her a friend of F5.
CHARLIE WHITE
And now for something completely different. Over the last decade Charlie White has created some of the most arresting and trenchant images in contemporary photography.
Through an extensive process that entails casting actors, creating characters, and building sets to construct scenes both disturbing and familiar, Charlie dissects the violence, desires, and social anxieties that trouble the American collective unconscious.
In 2008 White exhibited Girl Studies, a series comprised of a 35mm short film titled American Minor, an experimental animation titled OMG BFF LOL, and a series of new photographs that move away from the use of the tableau and the fictional narrative.
Girl Studies is the culmination of three years of research and production that expands far beyond the works exhibited. The series marks the broadest range in White’s practice to date and further evolves his specifically American cultural critique.
Check out the full lineup of F5’s speakers on the Speakers page.