Exhibiting artist Shivanjani Lal and poet Manisha Anjali discuss experiences of diaspora, tracing a thread from India, across the Pacific to Australia, uncovering the many layers that inform these histories. The artists also consider the importance of language, specifically Fijian Hindi, and how this significant component of culture shapes their creative practices.

Shivanjani Lal is a twice removed Fijian Indian Australian artist and curator from the indentured labour diaspora of the Indian and Pacific Oceans whose history is shaped by the kālā pānī (‘black waters’).

Working with women of Oceanian and Indian histories, Manisha Anjali’s writing is concerned with hallucinatory dream states they experience as they navigate their folklores, rituals and decolonisation.

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Presented in conjuction with 'Shivanjani Lal: Beta, ek story bathao' at UNSW Galleries from 17 January - 14 May 2020