Leslie Foster

59.9 and 59.10 are a part of a series of films created over a period of a year with the following restrictions: I had to create one, 59-second film a month for eleven months with eleven different collaborators, none of whom could be cis men. The collaborations had to be egalitarian, with both artists contributing equally.

59.9 was created with poet Jade Phoenix and is a meditation on trans identity, Filipinx-American identity, the concept of “passing,” and resistance to the gender binary.

Cast: Jade Phoenix (she/her), Reyna Ripper (she/her), Jade Hambaro (she/her)
Makeup Artist: Johnny J. Pimentel (they/them)
Sound Mixer: Veronika Vorel (she/her)
Vocals: Sophia Magallanes (she/her)
Composer: Britta Kaye (she/her)
Colorist: Persephanie Engel (she/her)
Director of Photography: Sandra Garcia (she/her)
Artists: Leslie Foster (he/him) & Jade Phoenix (she/her)

59.10, an exploration of grief, cleansing, and the complex, messy dynamics of romance, was created with filmmaker and photographer Sarah London.

Cast: Siana-äiti Moirae (she/her), Charis Danger (she/her), Orly Lasky (she/her), Sarah
London (she/her), Emma Nace (she/they), Amy Schmidt (she/her), Robert Hart (he/him)
Sound Mixer: Veronika Vorel (she/her)
Composer: Amber Nash (she/her)
Colorist: Persephanie Engel (she/her)
Director of Photography: Timothy Banks (he/him)
Artists: Leslie Foster (he/him) & Sarah London (she/her)

étude noun
\ˈā-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

1: a piece of music for the practice of a point of technique
2: a composition built on a technical motive but played for its artistic value

Étude #1 was created through improvisation by choreographer/dancer Keva Walker and myself as a way to push ourselves creatively and explore ambient narrative and emotion. The project was filmed on location at Leo Carillo State Park (unceded Chumash territory) in the burn scars of the Woolsey Fire, which had just swept through Malibu weeks before.

Artists: Leslie Foster (he/they) & Keva Walker (she/they)

About the Artist

Leslie Foster uses video art and installation to create contemplative ecologies that explore Black and queer futurity through the lens of dream logic. Leslie completed his MFA in Design | Media Arts at UCLA in 2022, the same year he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including two exhibitions at the Torrance Art Museum and two solo shows. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Cal State San Marcos, as the lead mentor at LA-based arts organization Level Ground and is a Visual Arts Fellow at the Montalvo Arts Center.