A public program of the Sweaty Eyeballs exhibition.

In this modern interpretation of the vaudeville format, artists who are exhibiting in the exhibition, or who practice performance arts closely related to animation, will take the stage for a series of  5-10-minute acts of eclectic delight. An animation screening of short films by artists in the exhibition will follow the live acts with a short Q&A. These artists push the boundaries of animation as an art form, making films that incorporate experimental techniques, alternative narrative and non-narrative approaches, and a span of new and old technology. Visitors are welcome to attend all or part of the event.

The Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival will be returning in Fall 2025 and will include an International Shorts program and Baltimore Showcase program screening at Falvey Hall Theatre at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

There will also be a corresponding group art exhibition at Area 405 Gallery. The festival this year will be an invitational format, so no open call for entry on filmfreeway.com. If you have a new animated short (under 20 minutes) that you would like to submit for consideration for SEAF 2025 please email festival director/curator Phil Davis at phil@sweatyeyeballs.com.

Witness the last and also take a moment to reflect on the values we hold — polycentric, becoming, collaboration. By returning to our workshop explorations and interventions, and revisiting the crossings, tensions, and temporary structures built in the process, we step into the exhibition’s dynamic exploration of instability, transformation, and rebellion, transcending temporal and spatial boundaries.

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Exhibition Trembling Grounds: Push-Pull Practice dismantles and reconfigures the boundaries of art-making. The show spotlights nine artists — Deborah Castillo, Roman Sheppard Dawson, Sasha Fishman, Elli Fotopoulou, Maya Gurantz, Scott Keightley, Lucia Shuyu Li, Andrew Luk, and Yuhan Shen — whose works delve into multi-centered discourses and span disciplines including performance, video, interdisciplinary sculpture, and site-specific installation. By bringing together these constantly evolving practices, Trembling Grounds examines the concept of "crossing" as a transformative act — crossing subjects, media, languages, physical walls, restrictions, and so on. Crossing is not merely a movement but a rebellion, an active, dynamic force that traverses media and unsettles the familiar.

Learn more here: area405.com/trembling-grounds

Become a part of this workshop and engage in a nonverbal exchange, communicating solely through objects. Each person will receive an object and be invited to express their thoughts through interaction to explore the narrative autonomy of objects and their ability to convey meaning beyond language.

Learn more at area405.com/trembling-grounds.

Join Sasha Fishman for a hands-on workshop sculpting with living mycelium dough — a blend of reishi mycelium, clay, and paper pulp — developed by Sasha in collaboration with Lera Niemackl. After a brief presentation on mycelium’s role in sustainable design and construction, participants will shape dynamic, growing forms to take home or keep as they are in the gallery space.

Door at 5:00 p.m.
Performance at 6:00 p.m.

Maya Gurantz presents Endurance Performance Proposition #2 (Lenny Bruce Live at Carnegie Hall), a durational engagement reanimating the raw volatility of Bruce’s infamous 1961 performance, interrogating the friction between comedy, free speech, and bodily limits. Lucia Shuyu Li’s SING!SING!SING! explores vocal endurance as both rebellion and release of body movement and functionality.

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Exhibition Trembling Grounds: Push-Pull Practice dismantles and reconfigures the boundaries of art-making. The show spotlights nine artists — Deborah Castillo, Roman Sheppard Dawson, Sasha Fishman, Elli Fotopoulou, Maya Gurantz, Scott Keightley, Lucia Shuyu Li, Andrew Luk, and Yuhan Shen — whose works delve into multi-centered discourses and span disciplines including performance, video, interdisciplinary sculpture, and site-specific installation. By bringing together these constantly evolving practices, Trembling Grounds examines the concept of "crossing" as a transformative act — crossing subjects, media, languages, physical walls, restrictions, and so on. Crossing is not merely a movement but a rebellion, an active, dynamic force that traverses media and unsettles the familiar.

Learn more here: area405.com/trembling-grounds