EMILY CHEN
Interview with Mei Lin Meyers and Jessica Thompson
Sinew
Featuring work by Aarushi Zarthoshtimanesh, Wai Ting Daisy Ng , Jessica Thompson , Mei Lin Meyers , Monisha Kumar, Gosha Heldtz, Keroshin Govender, Vedika Rampal, and Cassia Glynn Bray.
Kudos Offsite
28 September-8 October
Curated by Jessica Thompson and Mei Lin Meyers
Hello, can you start with a brief introduction of yourself and tell us why you are interested in curating for Sinew? And do you have previous experience with the kudos, or is this your first time?
We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which Kudos Offsite is based. We pay our respects to the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation. Always was always will be Aboriginal Land.
Hi! My name is Jess Thompson, I live and work on the land of the Garigal people. I am a second year BFA student whose practice centers around sculpture, painting and the odd gelatin element!
Hey! I’m Mei Lin Meyers, and I am a second year BFA student living on stolen Bidjigal and Gadigal land. My practice involves painting, ceramics and my fav… textiles! I am currently a Kudos committee member for the outgoing 2022 team!
We were interested in curating as a means to build a nurturing community and promote active healing through artmaking. We also wanted to give space and resources to our wonderful artists Aarushi Zarthoshtimanesh, Wai Ting Daisy Ng, Monisha Kumar, Gosha Heldtz, Keroshin Govender, Vedika Rampal, Cassia Glynn Bray.
What is the biggest challenge for you during this experience? How do you find the balance between being an artist and a curator?
We learned a lot from this experience and are so grateful to have gotten to work with the Kudos Committee, Arc and the artists! During this process of curating Jess and I (Mei!) struggled to align the aim of the show with our actions and find balance between resistance and rest. Moving forward we would love to dismantle the hierarchical nature of curating, to engage in more healing acts and also extend kindness and patience with ourselves as we navigate future exhibitions! We have both learnt so much about how we work together, and how to better embody our intentions.
We would not have been able to bring this together without our friends. Their help was integral to our own healing through this show. Thank you to Kieran Butler, Emily Hipsley-Davidson, Emma Harbridge, Nadia Demas, Josh Di Mattina-Beven, Gosha Heldtz, Liam Sizeland, Anisha, Josie Walsh and Emily Chen.
What is your motivation when curating this exhibition? Are there any special meanings that you hope to express through these works?
Sinew is the fibrous cord that connects the fleshy contractile muscle with the bony structure that lays beneath. These tendons resist and extend, a considerate exchange. This negotiation is simultaneously defined by both its inherent strength and contrary fragility.
‘Sinew’ brings together emerging UNSW ADA students whose diverse practices are concerned with navigating the frameworks of colonialism, heteronormativity, cisnormativity and white supremacy. These artists' practices are reactive, a conversation with themselves, their contexts, histories, lineages and their peers. Through the process of internal and external dialogue, the artists engage in tender reflexivity and consider the societal implications that press them into action. This show is about grappling with the delicate balance between strain and healing.
Fostering tender connections between each other, and allowing our practices to form vessels for healing and understanding - embracing the vulnerability and strain stemming from resistance.
We are interested in strengthening the sinew, through nurturing and listening to ourselves and others.
