Sancintya Mohini Simpson
Kūlī nām dharāyā / they’ve given you the name ‘coolie’
22 February–25 July 202022 Feb–25 Jul 2020
IMA Belltower at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts
Kūlī nām dharāyā / they’ve given you the name ‘coolie’ evokes the lived experiences of indentured labourers taken from India to Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) to work on sugar plantations during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Continuing to trace her familial history, Simpson creates a new archive that speaks to shared narratives of indentured labour.
The word ‘coolie’ is a term that was often used derogatively in relation to Indian indenture diaspora. By using language linked to this past, Simpson’s exhibition brings forward colonial narratives to acknowledge the strength of her people: their stories and legacies embodied in a large-scale corrugated iron structure filled with video, sound, and smell. Through this sensory and immersive work, Simpson offers a reflective space for ongoing resistance and healing.
Simpson’s exhibition at IMA Belltower is accompanied by a new projection work developed in collaboration with Sai Karlen for the façade of the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.
IMA Belltower at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and the IMA are supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
Curated By
- Freja Carmichael
Sancintya Mohini Simpson completed a Bachelor of Photography with Honours at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University (2014) and a Graduate Certificate in Writing, Editing and Publishing at The University of Queensland (2016). Her solo exhibitions include Remnants of my ancestors, Boxcopy, Hobiennale (upcoming), Natal’s Coolie Women, CARPARK, Milani Gallery (2019) and Bloodlines at both Metro Arts and Blak Dot Gallery (Next Wave Festival) (2018). In 2019 Simpson exhibited in a number of group shows including New Woman, Museum of Brisbane, Moon In My Mouth, Schoolhouse Studios and Botanica, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. Her work is held in private and public collections including The University of Queensland Art Museum and Museum of Brisbane.
Freja Carmichael is a Ngugi woman and curator belonging to the Quandamooka People of Moreton Bay. She works broadly across the cultural sector with artists and communities on projects with a focus on collaborative curatorial approaches and the promotion and preservation of First Nations fibre knowledge. Carmichael recently curated Weaving the Way, The University of Queensland Art Museum (2019), Seeing Country, Redland Art Gallery (2019) and Around and within, Macquarie Group Collection space gallery (2018) and was a co-curator of The Commute, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2018) and its follow on iterations as The Layover, Artspace Aotearoa (2019) and Transits and Returns, Vancouver Art Gallery (2020). Currently, Freja is curator IMA Belltower at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and also works as an independent curator, writer and arts worker.
