BEMAC Discussions: Breaking and Becoming, Together, in Liminal World

How do we navigate trajectory of intercultural identity, and what role does the language of liminality play in that space?

Thomas Dixon Centre Foyer
4:30pm, Sunday 12 July
Free. All welcome.

Join us for a panel discussion inspired by Kanako Enokida’s work 軌跡: paths where Kanako and panelists discuss how contemporary artists engage with liminality.

Working across diverse disciplines and lived experiences, the panel will examine how art can reveal the transformative potential of moments of transition, uncertainty, and change. Drawing on themes of migration, materiality, and intercultural identity, this conversation invites participants to consider cultural origin and home not as a fixed place, but as a living thing that evolve through interrelation with people, place, and community.

The conversation considers the role of creative processes in expressing personal and collective experiences of transformation. Centring around ideas of breaking, shedding, and rebuilding—such as the papermaking process, in Kanako’s work where fibres are dismantled before becoming something new—the artists will reflect on how materiality can embody experiences of displacement, resilience, and becoming.

Panelists
Kanako Enokida
Multidisciplinary artist born in Japan and based in Meanjin. Working across installation, papermaking, and performance, her practice brings together fibre and the body to create fragile yet intimate encounters for viewers.

Cristine Ko
Brisbane-based visual artist whose practice spans installation and photo media. Drawing on her Chinese-Australian migrant experience, Christine uses personal storytelling and autoethnographic methods to examine spaces of liminality andhybridity.

Sachi Mehta
A freestyle vocalist, Channel 10 featured vocalist, and QPAC headline performer who has graced the stages of Woodford Folk Festival, JungleLove, and the Brisbane International Jazz Festival. Sachi’s artistry is defined by powerful performances that merge Jazz and freestyle lyricism.

SHA Sarwari
A Hazara-born Afghan multidisciplinary visual artist based in Australia. Working across diverse media, his work captures the experience of existing between two worlds, examining the social and political realities that shape migration and nationhood.

Moderator
Lubi Thomas
Cultural strategist, independent curator, and artist with over two decades ofexperience curating at the nexus of art, technology, science, and society. Lubi has developed numerous transdisciplinary exhibitions and programs and forged partnerships with institutions like Ars Electronica and Lego Education.

Photo: Ange Costes Photography