Voices in Crisis: Perspectives on Art and Language
Join us on Saturday 15 February for morning tea and a panel conversation between artist Akil Ahamat, catalogue publication writers Bahar Sayed and Melissa Ratliff, and Extinguishing Hope curator, Sebastian Henry-Jones.
Extinguishing Hope is accompanied by a publication featuring new writing by curator Sebastian Henry-Jones, Archie Barry, Bahar Sayed and Melissa Ratliff, designed by Alexander Tanazefti.
The publication will be available for purchase at UTS Gallery, and can also be purchased online through West Space.
Accessibility: As this is a Saturday event, access to Level 4, Building 6 will be via Harris St footbridge (street entry via Main Tower, Building 1). See map for further information.
About the speakers
Akil Ahamat is a Sri Lankan Malay artist and filmmaker currently based on Gadigal Country. In their work, they animate the non-human in order to talk to it. In the crinkles and whispers of these conversations, shapes of the inhuman forces that govern our lives emerge, as well as our relationships to them. Ahamat is a current Clothing Store studio resident at Carriageworks, Gadigal Nura/Sydney.
Sebastian Henry-Jones is the Curator at West Space, having worked as a Curatorial Assistant for the 22nd and 23rd editions of the Biennale of Sydney, NIRIN and Rivus and as guest curator for the 2023 Churchie Emerging Art Prize at the Institute of Modern Art, Meanjin/Brisbane. Sebastian has staged group exhibitions and independent projects across the East Coast of the continent. He is a co-founder of DIY and experimental arts platforms Desire Lines and Emerson, and former editor at Runway Journal.
Melissa Ratliff is a writer and editor currently working at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Prior to this, she was Curator – Research at Monash University Museum of Art in Melbourne and Curator, Programs and Learning at the Biennale of Sydney.
Bahar Sayed is a curator and writer in Sydney on Gadigal land. Bahar has a background in theology, film and visual arts, with specific interest in faith-based and cultural traditions within contemporary artistic practices. Her work has been featured in Art Gallery of Western Australia, Fremantle Arts Centre, Runway, un Magazine and others.
Banner image: Akil Ahamat and Sebastian Henry-Jones in conversation as part of Extinguishing Hope, West Space, Collingwood Yards, courtesy West Space. Photo: Machiko Abe.
