Lost Lovers' Play (LLP)
by Pioneers Go East Collective in partnership with Collar Works
A (work-in-progress) immersive performance + media exhibition reflecting on downtown icon Agosto Machado
On view September 18 - Free event!
Opening @ 6pm-7.30p
Excerpt performance @ 7pm
Lost Lovers' Play (LLP) is a film, performance, and archival installation triptych by Pioneers Go East Collective. Presented at Collar Works (Troy, NY) and developed at the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency and Collar Works in 2026.
Lost Lovers' Play (LLP) is conceived by Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte (film director/ director / research, installation) and in collaboration with Alexa Grae (composer)/ sound design) , bree breeden and Kathleen Kelley (filmmakers/editors), Philip Treviño (production designer), Mark Tambella (visual installation). Featuring performance artists and choreographers: Benedict Nguyễn, Joey Kipp, and Stuart B Meyers.
Reflecting on the legacy of forgotten pioneering voices in the underground art scene, this heartfelt creative and archival project centers on the lived experiences of Agosto Machado (1938-2026), a downtown Gay icon, drag performance artist, and witness to the Stonewall Uprising. Agosto’s contributions to LGBTQ+ history are significant, and the film LLP captures firsthand anecdotes and humorous impressions about the vibrant downtown NYC art scene.
Pioneers Go East Collective interviewed Agosto and featured him in a series of performances and short films starting in 2017. The project weaves recorded stories about platonic friendships and sexual encounters with fictionalized and joyous recreations of performances Agosto participated in. In ongoing conversations with Agosto, Pioneers Go East Collective features the artist's feelings without any filters to reshape a fantastical space that breaks the linear reading of his journey, enriching the narrative while celebrating otherness and desire as part of a creative process of discovery.
DIRECTIONS: Collar Works
50 4th St, Troy, NY 12180 | 518.285.0765 | info@collarworks.org
This project is made possible thanks to the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Photo: film screenshot featuring Agosto Machado and Richard Morales. Film by Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte