NQAF 2026: Xemara

Queer Cultural Center (QCC) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting and amplifying LGBTQ+ artists, with a particular commitment to centering queer and trans BIPOC artists whose work is too often overlooked by mainstream arts institutions. Through programs like QCC Fellows, QCC provides space, resources, and platform for artists to develop ambitious new work on their own terms. XEMARA was part of CQC1, the Performance Art and Studio track of the QCC Fellows program, where artists spend months in development before presenting new work to the public. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Xemara is a queer audio-visual artist whose work bridges live sound, songwriting, and performance. Raised in the bailes of Oaxaca, their practice draws from sound system culture and lived experience to explore identity, family, grief, and self-preservation.