Join us for the first iteration of Area Discourse, a conversation series where artists from Western Sydney and beyond unpack their work as it relates to political, social and cultural events, past and ongoing.

The first event in the series, To Memorialise brings two projects into conversation, Cups of nun chai led by artist Alana Hunt with publisher, filmmaker and founder of Yaarbal Books, Sanjay Kak and; Rememebering ‘89: Memorial and Archive led by activist Nilvala Vijayasiri and artist Jagath Dheerasekara, members of the Remembering ‘89 collective.

Join the guest artists and activists as they discuss the projects and their interventions in keeping memory as a form of resistance, operating as archivists and allies within state sponsored systems of oppression and censorship.

You are invited to stay for an screening of Sanjay Kak's film, Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom) - part 1 after the conversations.

About the projects:

This event marks the 10th anniversary of the serialisation of Cups of nun chai in 86 editions of the newspaper Kashmir Reader from June 2016 - April 2017. Published as a book by Yaarbal Books in 2020 Cups of nun chai records the sharing of 118 cups of nun chai, and just as many conversations. Each cup formed a requiem for 118 people killed by the state amidst pro-freedom protests that shook the Kashmir valley during the summer of 2010. Like a storm in a tea cup, the work brews an archive of small moments that move against the normalisation of political violence.

Read this article Alana Hunt with Sanjay Kak: A conversation about Kashmir on Artlink to learn more. This article is available to readers without a subscription for a limited time in the lead-up to this event, thanks to the generosity of the artists and Artlink.

The Remembering ‘89: Memorial and Archive is dedicated to people who were killed or disappeared by the State during the 1987-1990 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led Uprising in the ‘South’ of Sri Lanka. As an independent initiative founded by a group of survivors of the 1987–1990 Uprising and their children, it seeks to preserve and enliven the memory of activists, supporters and sympathisers who were killed, disappeared, imprisoned, tortured, or persecuted during one of the most violent periods in Sri Lanka’s modern history.

Jashn-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom)

It’s 15th August, India’s Independence day, and the Indian flag goes up in the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir. But the empty streets and the sullen silence that greet India's claim on Kashmir spark off old questions about freedom – azadi – and the denial of freedom. In the aftermath of 18 years of an armed struggle, with 60,000 dead and nearly 7,000 missing, death and loss is everywhere.

Visit our website for more information on the program.

Cover artwork by Eddie Abd

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Contact the host of Area Discourse: To Memorialise