We have entered a phase of radical reconfiguration of our methods of learning, of perceiving history, of sharing knowledge. manuel arturo abreu, a LatinX artist and writer of Dominican descent, is spearheading the new tactics of radical, alternative education. Dedicated to unlearning, abreu in his blended practice spares no mercy for European-Western modernism by dissecting and reconfiguring its historical components and retelling the dominant version of art history. Radical education is becoming a tool of performativity, of collective self-organisation and the credo of the undercommons. In his series of lectures, abreu creates bodies of narration that resonate globally, tapping on collective pop fascinations such as the fear and attraction of the zombie. Zombies have taken over the channels as iconic horrific projections of our homogenised, identity-deprived, alternate selves. In his revisiting of the zombie story, he traces its origins in its birthplace. He debunks the myth and attacks colonial narratives that created such an apotropaic mass terror to intoxicate the insurgent young republics like the Haitian one. How can we better deal with history, and art history, if we are not ready to confront it for what it is – a means of oppression, a means of colonial, offensive superiority? By queering history and taking over education, writers and artists like abreu form the next generation of intellectuals that challenge class hierarchies, the academia and the white cube.

Untitled (Herramienta, FamilySearch), 2018–ongoing
Archival genealogical records, asemic writing, printed matter
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

A Zombie Reader for the Seventh Athens Biennale: ECLIPSE, 2021
Texts and images curated and written by manuel arturo abreu, 
A5 size newsprint, 45pp, staple-bound, edition of 100
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

Cascarilla Layer, 2021
Dried eggshell powder placed on the perimeter of the floor of the room in which abreu delivers their performative lectures
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

Zombie lecture for ECLIPSE part 1, 2021
Digital video, 60'17''
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

Zombie lecture for ECLIPSE part 2, 2021
Digital video, 60'30"
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale