Sancintya Mohini Simpson: Forecast

Sancintya Mohini Simpson’s research questions dominant colonial perspectives by opening up new dialogues on indentured labour histories through painting, video, poetry and performance. These fragmented and traumatic narratives are embedded in Simpson’s own history as a descendent of Indian labourers sent to work on sugar plantations in South Africa.

written by Michaela Bear February 2021

Image credit: Installation view Sancintya Mohini Simpson and Isha Ram Das, Vessels, 2020. This work was supported by Metro Arts 2020 Artist-in-Residence at Norman Park Substation

 

You often collaborate with your mother and brother. Can you talk about how familial histories inform your practice?
My family is foundational to my practice. I am in a privileged position as an artist, having this platform to make space for and share my matrilineal histories. I include my family in collaborative ways because my practice and work are theirs as well. They have joint ownership of my practice, as I am telling their stories too.

It is not just about history, but also ongoing legacies, ongoing trauma and ongoing healing. Making is an important part of that process.

The work produced is an outcome of our experiences – it’s our life. It is a means of processing, understanding and questioning. It is an outcome of the research. This is something that we need to do for ourselves, as part of our story. It is not just there to be consumed as another endpoint.

Is it important to also draw in wider histories of indenture?
My research and practice examine broader communities that I am connected to, and our shared histories. It is about acknowledging these histories and creating a space for dialogue. For me, it is very important to acknowledge the place that I live. I am an uninvited guest here on Yuggera, Jagera and Turrbal Country, and I also acknowledge that there is a dark history of South Sea Islanders being taken here to work on sugarcane plantations. Acknowledging histories of slavery and forms of exploitation of people is an ...Subscribe to read this article in full