Matisse Laida is an artist whose practice is based around community and food. They are the founder of We Eatin’ Good, a platform for queer people of colour to come together.

Anthony 'Banda' Bandalan is a producer who cares deeply about community cultivation and uplifting his creative counterparts.

Nickila De Silva is an artist who creates across video, music and writing. Her work explores collaboration and how it can exist alongside hierarchy and power.

We interviewed Matisse, Banda and Nickila, as part of Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Block Partee.

We chat about:

• Hierarchy and power in the arts
• Networking being a white concept
• Performative leadership
• When gatekeeping is good
• Queer people becoming removed from our cultures
• Connecting people through food
• Art is archival and friendship
• Code switching your practice
• Reflections on creating art together and apart
• How sharehouses shape us
• The challenges of working within institutions
• Food that makes us feel the most

Hosted by: Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson

Guests: Matisse Laida, Anthony Bandalan and Nickila De Silva

Music by: The Green Twins

Edited by: Kate Robinson

Special thanks: Multicultural Arts Victoria, City of Darebin, Creative Victoria, Creative Australia, Melbourne Polytechnic, Victoria Government and VicHealth’s Future Reset Program.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the eastern Kulin Nations.

You can find us on Instagram @beingbiracialpodcast or send us an email at beingbiracialpodcast@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vijay is an audio-visual and laser artist of Sri Lankan Tamil and Cornish descent, born in Naarm. His practice fuses analogue sound synthesis with cutting-edge creative technologies. Vijay is known for creating immersive environments under the moniker Xenosine.

We chat about:

• A Glastonbury love story
• Family attempts to break up his parents
• A Hell’s Angel member ends racism
• Leaning into music as an identity
• Exploration and play in creative practice
• The Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio
• Bringing Oblation to life
• Working with Pirashanna Thevarajah & Hari Sivanesan
• Dislocation and taking up space

Hosted by: Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson

Guest: Vijay Thillaimuthu

Music by: the Green Twins

Edited by: Maria Birch-Morunga

Special thanks: The Substation

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the eastern Kulin Nations.

You can find us on Instagram @beingbiracialpodcast or send us an email at beingbiracialpodcast@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayman Kaake is a photo-media visual artist and performance creator whose work explores the complexities of isolation that come from starting a new life away from Lebanon.

MzRizk is a Lebanese Australian DJ, radio presenter, live performer and event curator.

Ezz Monem is a photo-based artist, who repurposes and transforms images, drawing on his experience growing up in Egypt and migrating to Australia.

We interviewed Ezz, Ayman and MzRizk at the Arts Centre Melbourne, as part of Art Souk.

We chat about:

• Everyone being an Engineer
• Coming out as an artist
• Dan’s first radio show at 6 years old
• Zaffé
• The rebrand of gossip to community news
• Manipulating found footage
• Dance as resistance
• Using your camera to talk
• How family relationships change when you leave home
• Nostalgic supermarket pieces
• Halal v Haram art projects
• Sally Field was the real kickstart for Islamophobia

Hosted by: Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson

Guests: Ayman Kaake, Ezz Monem and MzRizk

Music by: the Green Twins

Edited by: Kate Robinson

Special thanks: Multicultural Arts Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, Creative Victoria, Creative Australia, City of Melbourne and MzRizk for curating this incredible event.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples. We pay our respects to the Elders of these lands past and present and also acknowledge the neighbouring Kulin Nation groups, the Boonwurrung and Bunurong people. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

You can find us on Instagram @beingbiracialpodcast or send us an email at beingbiracialpodcast@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.