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McKenzie Wark on Rave Culture, Trans Subjectivity, and Femmunism at MACRO Rome

other · 2026-05-28

On March 13–14, 2026, the symposium titled 'The Dream Syndicate. Dissonanze, autonomie e desiderio nel lavoro culturale' took place at MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma. The event centered on the shifts in creative labor within the context of informational capitalism, addressing topics such as the dematerialization of music, the financialization of culture, and the dual nature of digital technology. McKenzie Wark, the keynote speaker, presented her works 'Raving' (NERO, 2024) and 'Amore e soldi, sesso e morte' (NERO Editions, 2025). She explored the queer and trans rave scene in Brooklyn since the mid-2010s, critiqued the 'cis gaze,' and introduced 'femmunism,' advocating for a politics that emphasizes care and feminine withdrawal. Her memoir challenges traditional narratives of authenticity, framing trans identity as a constructed interplay with memory while highlighting the importance of anonymity and autonomous spaces for queer and trans individuals.

Key facts

  • Symposium 'The Dream Syndicate' held March 13–14, 2026 at MACRO Rome.
  • McKenzie Wark is a theorist and writer focusing on media, capitalism, and trans subjectivity.
  • Wark's book 'Raving' (NERO, 2024) examines queer and trans techno rave culture in Brooklyn.
  • Her memoir 'Amore e soldi, sesso e morte' (NERO Editions, 2025) is an epistolary work dedicated to women in her life.
  • Wark describes rave as a space for anonymity, collective intensity, and resistance to extractive datafication.
  • She introduces 'femmunism' as a politics derived from a meme, combining necessity and pleasure.
  • Wark critiques the 'cis gaze' as an anxious structure oscillating between rejection and attraction.
  • She advocates for creating autonomous zones and disengaging from surveillance platforms.
  • Wark's memoir challenges the notion of an authentic self, viewing trans subjectivity as constructed.
  • The symposium addressed dematerialization of music, financialization of culture, and digital technologies.

Entities

Artists

  • McKenzie Wark
  • Perry Zurn
  • Laura Mulvey
  • Luce deLire
  • Torrey Peters

Institutions

  • MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma
  • NERO Editions

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Brooklyn
  • New York

Sources