Artist Talk – Gabrielle Menezes

Date: 10 May 2020
Time: 5:00pm
Locations: Online
Cost: Free, donations welcome

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According to traditional beliefs in southern Sri Lanka, there are 18 devils ranging from anger to cholera. To heal or cleanse evil, exorcism dances are performed in elaborate ceremonies called ‘Thovil.’ Working with a group of dancers, we identified modern devils that are corrupting Sri Lankan society, these include discrimination, remembering (and forgetting) the history of war, corruption, and child abuse. In this series, I explore how the body is used as a vessel and how movement is linked to emotional release. 

View the online exhibition
Available after 1 May 2020

Gabrielle’s career as a photographer has spanned many years, creating photographs and multimedia as a photojournalist for organisations including UNICEF, UNHCR, World Food Programme (WFP), and Save the Children. Her work is primarily multimedia and filmmaking. Her work has explored issues of HIV/AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire, conflict in the Central African Republic, indigenous people’s rights in Bolivia, and refugee issues in Ecuador and Niger. Gabrielle is a self-taught photographer. Working as the West Africa correspondent for Al Jazeera and a producer for Reuters, Gabrielle gradually became disillusioned with producing stories for a news cycle, especially in relation to conflict, and moved into work where she could tell in-depth stories.

How live sessions work

Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email confirmation. The next steps are: 

1. We will send you an email with a hyperlink to join the session at least 24 hours before the class start time  
2. We will open the room 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the session  
3. You will be able to listen through your computer speakers and view the presenter(s) and their images on the screen  
4. You will be able to ask questions through the ‘live chat’ during the session. We will answer the questions towards the end  
5. In some sessions, you will be able to ask live questions via your webcam and microphone (depending on your system, you may have to click on permissions or change settings)  
6. We will let you know within 48 hours when the recording is available