"Javi Sanchez created the character KILLABITE to explore performance art as a method for centering and expressing mixed Japanese and Filipino queer identity, infusing folklore and mythology into his acts. Beyond gender performance, he uses drag as a protest against racism, capitalism, and transphobia to connect with queer Asian audiences in spaces where their stories and identities have historically been erased, marginalized or fetishized/commodified."

"Javi will be creating a multimedia drag performance that tells the story of Shima, a young mixed-Asian trans person coming into their own power as an oni king, KILLABITE. Javi explores the identity of an oni—a kind of Japanese yōkai—to break the myth that this creature is “a flat, evil character,” and reclaim power from demonization as a queer person. .” Through this piece, he aims to “inspire people to dig into their own past, reconcile with the unknown history of their families, and touch the pain together,” to consider the speculative archival practice and question: “Is the past the past? Can it be malleable? Can it be changed?”

 -Des Bennet, Associate Director of Queer (Re)Public Programs & Festival Director.
'Exploring Lineage and Time Travel with our New Resident Artists'