05/09/2025
MOCA Store Presents
How to Tell When We Will Die: A Celebration with Johanna Hedva, P. Staff, and Xina Xurner
Multimedia Presentation, Discussion, and Book Signing
Thursday, May 15, 2025
6pm - 8pm
FREE w/RSVP
Join us for an event celebrating How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom, Johanna Hedva’s groundbreaking 2024 essay collection, born from the viral 2016 piece “Sick Woman Theory.” Ten years in the making, the book has reshaped disability discourse through themes of monstrosity, q***rness, kink, pleasure, ambition, moshpits, wrestling, and the color yellow. The evening features multimedia presentations by Hedva, P. Staff, and Xina Xurner, followed by a discussion, audience Q&A, and book signing.
Johanna Hedva is a Korean American writer, artist, and musician from Los Angeles, author of How to Tell When We Will Die, Your Love Is Not Good, On Hell, and Minerva the Miscarriage of the Brain
P. Staff is a London- and LA-based artist whose work has shown internationally, including a 2017 solo show at MOCA.
Xina Xurner is a performance/music duo—Marvin Astorga and Young Joon Kwak—known for high-energy shows blending electronics, distorted vocals, and drag to explore q***r and trans embodiment.
—
Image description:
1: Two people posing together against a dark background; one has blonde hair, dramatic makeup, and a military jacket with patches, the other has dark hair, skeleton gloves, a mesh top, and layered necklaces.
2: A person in black, wearing a leather jacket and platform boots, sits confidently on a chair, striking a bold pose against a dark background.
3: A black-and-white photo of a person with curly, shoulder-length hair standing near a wall, eyes closed and hand in their hair. They’re wearing a printed T-shirt. A vertical blur partially obscures the right side of the image.
Johanna Hedva photo by Ian Byers-Gamber, P. Staff photo courtesy of artist, Xina Xurner photo by Christopher Richmond
—
MOCA is committed to accessibility. Accommodations, including CART services, are available with at least two weeks’ notice. For details, visit moca.org/visit/accessibility or email [email protected]