BEMAC Discussions: Home and Longing (Live and Streamed)

Join us on Monday 19 August for the next instalment in the BEMAC Discussions series: Home and Longing.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the concept of home transcends physical borders. For diasporic communities, home often evokes a profound sense of longing, identity, and belonging. Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion as we delve into the multifaceted experiences of diaspora, exploring themes of nostalgia, cultural identity, and the search for belonging. How do diasporic communities redefine and preserve cultural identity? What role does memory and nostalgia play in shaping one's sense of home away from the homeland? In what ways do second and third generation diaspora individuals negotiate their dual identities and senses of belonging?

Featuring:

Kaya Tominaga, multi-instrumentalist who explores the idea of bi-cultural identity and “home” through taiko performance. Kaya continues to explore the power that Taiko has in bringing people from different backgrounds together through the energy, expression and vulnerability shared through performance. She often collaborates with other musicians and taiko performers to find community through this process, and also performs as part of Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra.

Kuweni Dias Mendis, a Sri Lankan-Australian artist based in Australia since 1999. As a diasporic artist her work reflects on her diverse experience of culture and identity. Australia has deeply influenced her artistic practice, which focuses on raw mark-making and integrates regenerative practice, arts activism, and cultural facilitation. Kuweni uses ritual and ceremony as the source of her artistic manifestations, her creative inquiry into the pulsation of place.

Liesel Zink, award-winning socially-engaged choreographer of Ukrainian and German descent interested in collective bodies as a tool for social change. She has developed and presented work around Australia, Asia and Eastern Europe. Liesel’s practice explores the intersection of contemporary dance and community engagement, often creating performances in public-space and using her creative process as a means for artistic, cultural and intergenerational exchange. 

Minney Richani, multi award winning writer and artist born and raised in Meanjin/Brisbane between the south and the east side. Minney is a single mother with roots in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine and hopes to hold on to and pass down this heritage through dynamic storytelling. Her work has appeared in a number of national and international publications and on various media platforms. Her debut mixed form memoir ‘Amongst The Grapevines’ is now available widely.

Moderated by Prita Tina Yeganeh, a multidisciplinary visual artist of Iranian ancestry. Growing up in India and Australia, Prita draws from her lived experiences as a refugee, blending them with her practice-based research in heritage artisan crafts to share a journey of displacement, healing, and cultural reclamation.

For those who are not able to physically attend the sessions, BEMAC Discussions will be live streamed on BEMAC’s Facebook page facebook.com/BEMACpresents

Proudly Presented by BEMAC.

BEMAC Discussions: Home and Longing
6:30pm, Monday 19 August
Followed by BEMAC Discover at 8:00pm
Queensland Multicultural Centre
102 Main St, Kangaroo Point
Free to attend.

BEMAC Discover
Join us on Monday 19 August for BEMAC Discover, an open mic night to celebrate the importance of art, music and creativity in our lives and our community. This space will focus on sharing and testing out new work! We invite artists from all backgrounds and languages to showcase and share! Entry is free… bring your instrument, poem, monologue or dance and sign up to take part in the open mic at the door on arrival!

There is very limited parking around the QMC. We encourage all guests to use public transport. QMC is only a 2-minute short walk from the Holman Street Ferry Terminal and bus route 234. You can find more info about how to get to QMC at http://qmc.org.au/visit