To launch our First Thursdays program, Radha La Bia, alter ego of performance artist Shahmen Suku, will take over the IMA for one night only. Suku is a performance artist based in Sydney, who explores racial and cultural identity, gender roles, the home and kitchen, food and storytelling. Growing up in a modern matriarchal Indian family in Singapore, Suku processes his feelings of displacement from home as La Bia, the Diva from India, who has entered the country by dubious means.
In her performance, The Wedding Banquet (கல்யாண சமையல்சாதம்), La Bia translates the experiences and pomp of an Indian wedding banquet into an evening of story and ritual. Performance becomes dance party with the ultimate Indian wedding DJ, Boy Venus.
To join us for this unmissable evening book your ticket through eventbrite.
First Thursday’s coming up:
6 April: Jemima Wyman & Zach Blas
4 May: Hannah Brontë
1 June: Chantal Fraser
6 July: Archie Moore & David M Thomas
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Shahmen Suku
Shahmen Suku was born in 1987 in Singapore and arrived in Australia in 2009. Through the persona Radha La Bia the Diva from India, Shahmen explores multiple perspectives on migration, culture, race, colonisation, and gender through performance. Drawing on a background in biomedical science, cooking and interior design, La Bia’s performances create holistic experiences that encompass culinary science and spatial dynamics. Radha La Bia has recently participated in residencies at the Delfina Foundation in London, and the Bundanon Trust Residency with Underbelly Arts Festival; and has performed widely, such as the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial at QAGoMA, Firstdraft Gallery, ICAN Jogjakarta and The Empire Remains Shop, London.
Isha Ram Das
Isha Ram Das is a composer/sound designer based in Melbourne and Brisbane. His work marries the complexity of modern electronic vanguards with the hypnotic instrumentation found in traditional Indian music. His credits range from performance pieces with contemporary art spaces such as Boxcopy (under his moniker Boy Venus) and Metro Arts (as part of their NEW ERA program), soundtracks for films, and scores for works directed by the likes of David Morton and Dash Kruck. He has recently debuted a new project Kalyani & Isha as part of an international kirtan showcase at the Sydney Opera House, and is preparing two releases for 2017.
