ElizaBeth Hill talks with Qanita Lilla and guest host Sebastian De Line about her music practice that spans multiple decades. She shares how her songwriting and multimedia artworks reflect her Mohawk culture, are connected to both her spiritual and physical environment, and how they are influenced by her collaborators.
Music highlighted in this episode:
ElizaBeth Hill. “Peacemaker’s Lullaby.” Peacemaker’s Lullaby, 2005, #6. Courtesy of the artist.
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1:06:39
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1:06:39
Writing Between Language: Sadiqa de Meijer
Sadiqa de Meijer writes between two languages. She has a keen emotional awareness of both Dutch (her mother tongue) and English (the language of her adoptive country). In this conversation with Qanita Lilla, Sadiqa talks about writing “between” these two languages and of having to balance their stylistic tendencies. Interspersed with readings from Sadiqa, we learn about her life enriched by the pain and joy of cultural pluralism.
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1:07:01
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1:07:01
The Joy of Language, Paint and Yarn: Emebet Belete
In this episode, Qanita Lilla talks with Emebet Belete about her community-driven art projects and her passion for arts education. Emebet shares how her art has been influenced by her youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, global travels, and how her art practice has evolved to include large-scale projects which cover pieces of public infrastructure through a process called “yarn storming.”
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51:49
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51:49
Threnody for the Khoisan: Garth Erasmus
In this episode, Garth Erasmus, South African artist and musician talks with Qanita Lilla about how the experience of apartheid and forced removals shaped his artistic practice. He talks about navigating a white world and of balancing the urgent need to respond to the trauma of apartheid while cultivating his artistic voice. Sound work and music provided a useful medium toward healing for Garth, and it allowed a means towards embracing an Indigenous Khoisan identity.
Music highlighted in this episode:
Garth Ersamus. “Threnody for the KhoiSan.” Threnody for the KhoiSan, TAL, 2024, #7. Courtesy of the artist
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1:28:33
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1:28:33
Painting as a Refuge: Jega Delisca
Artist Jega Delisca talks with Qanita Lilla about his portraiture practice and how he makes his sitters feel seen by empathizing with their vulnerability. He talks about the importance of building rapport and trust but also of activating a balanced understanding of Black masculinity. Jega’s artistic practice challenges male emotional blindness and he talks about how he moved from painting portraits of others to opening his apartment as a gallery and becoming vulnerable himself.
In With Opened Mouths: The Podcast Dr Qanita Lilla, Associate Curator, Arts of Africa sits down with artists, musicians, curators and spoken word poets to discuss the expression of their practice. How did they find their artistic voice? Which life-events shaped them and who are their inspirations? Catch With Opened Mouths: The Podcast for some moving and inspiring conversations.
With Opened Mouths is on view at Agnes Etherington Art Centre from 7 August 2021 to 30 January 2022.
Learn more about the exhibition on Agnes’s website: https://agnes.queensu.ca/exhibition/with-opened-mouths/ With Opened Mouths: The Podcast is produced by Agnes Etherington Art Centre in partnership with CFRC 101.9 FM. This limited series podcast is released monthly. The graphic for the podcast is created by Vincent Perez.
Original music by Jameel3DN, produced by Elroy “EC3” Cox III and commissioned by the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 2021. The series is supported by the Justin and Elisabeth Lang Fund, Queen’s University and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
South Africa