Diaspora, Psyche: Panel Discussion

Join Melbourne-based artist John Young together with artists James Nguyen and Sangeeta Sandrasegar and moderator, Swinburne Associate Professor Carolyn Barnes, in a live panel discussion that asks: How does diaspora — the dispersion of peoples to other parts of the world — inform the reality of contemporary Australia and how do different communities fit into this place? Guests are invited to continue the conversation as the panel explores how the experience of diaspora has informed their own work and ideas about the world. Tickets are $12- $15 +BF which includes light refreshments, and will take place at 3.30pm in the Bunjil Place Studio following the raw and visceral performance of Home(s).

John Young is one of Australia’s most senior Asian-Australian artists. Distinguished nationally and internationally, his work has been exhibited widely throughout Australia, as well as overseas representing Australia at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and the Kennedy Centre, Washington (1994-5); as well as large-scale touring exhibitions initiated by Australia in the Asia-Pacific (1998- 2000); and most recently in a globally touring exhibition curated by the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (2019-2021).

James Nguyen is a Gertrude Contemporary studio artist who works with short-form documentaries, sculpture and experimental collaborations. Together with friends, colleagues and family, James creates conversations around epistemic refusal, the diasporic absurd and risk.
Born in Brisbane to Malaysian and Australian parents, Sangeeta Sandrasegar channels her childhood experience of growing up between both countries to her works that stem from a research-based practice, building narratives in works that explore postcolonial and hybridity theory, her life in Australia and the relationship between migrant communities and homelands.

Associate Professor Carolyn Barnes is an Academic Director of Research Training at Swinburne Design, where she teaches research methods for design and researches co-design practices. Carolyn is an art fan and has been widely published on the subjects of Australian non-objective art and artist-initiated activity. Her monograph on the Hong Kong-Australian artist John Young was published by Craftsman House in 2005.

Tickets for signature events are available to purchase now via www.bunjilplace.com.au/john-young-diaspora- psyche with the option to bundle tickets for both special events for $17-$20 +BF.