Who would have guessed that a dinosaur-masked metal guitarist nearly two decades ago would end up as an internationally recognized powerhouse of interdisciplinary art and music? Or that said powerhouse’s exploration of what it means to be a digital citizen would challenge audiences to expand their minds and see the world through unfamiliar lenses? From the intersections and boundaries of identity (queerness, race, gender), Ben Aqua has become a bold voice that embraces inclusion and diversity while calling out artistic and cultural appropriation. Aqua’s collaborations with the city's Asian American Resource Center might at first glance seem odd given Aqua's stature in the "online underground," but Aqua’s articulate validations of individual expression and identity and their ability to draw out the unspoken in others make it clear that even city government needs them. #NeverLogOff
