yon natalie mik

Studies on Squats, Book, 2024
Text and Images by Yon Natalie Mik
Published by Archive Books and Stuttgart Fine Academy Arts
Photos by Rina Nakano

Studies on Squats is an evocative exploration of embodied resistance and political movement, using the multifaceted posture of the “Asian Squat” as a lens through which broader concepts of public protest, migration, illness and resilience are examined. In Studies on Squats, the body—in its most vulnerable and potent states—becomes a speculative site for reclaiming agency, crafting new forms of protest that draw from care, ancestral strength, humor and eroticism. This posture, rich with cultural and historical resonance, serves as an entry point to imagine ways the body can engage in acts of defiance against systems of oppression. Studies on Squats invites the public to consider how dance, poetry and choreographic strategy can serve as tools for envisioning futures where artistry empowers those enduring systemic social injustices to transform their realities.