Darkmatter Duo Tackles Race, Capitalism and Desire

The two that comprise DarkMatter, both queer transgender South Asian artists, will be bringing political and social justice issues to the University of Arizona on Friday, Feb. 13 as part of their #ItGetsBitter tour. The title is a play on what many marginalized individuals are told when they're younger: it gets better. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Silver and Sage room of Old Main, located at 1200 E. University Blvd., Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian are hosting a workshop aimed at protecting us from our own exploitive tendencies. The workshop is a "creative, intentional, anti-racist and feminist" safe space where people of all colors can engage in conversations about how power and privilege inform various aspects of our identities and how we can find ways to challenge largely invisible yet intensely discriminatory conventions." At 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union Grand Ballroom, 1301 E University Blvd., Alok and Janani will take the stage as performance poets. The pair usually presents its poetry in the form of a comedy routine. Reader be warned: Though their loaded performances are full of sharp puns and witty humor about oppression and injustice, they're also equal parts cringe-worthy if you belong to a traditionally advantaged group (think: white privilege jokes). Both events are free. More info at the event's Facebook page.