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Sharjah Biennial 16 co-curator and Director, Jogja Biennale Foundation Alia Swastika moderating panel, titled (Re)learning Indigeneity: Ecologies of Art, Sustainability and Resistance, with Nida Sinnokrot, Sahar Qawasmi (Sakiya); other indias; Beatrice Catanzaro, Fatima Kaddumy (Bait al Karama) at March Meeting. Sharjah Art Foundation, 2024. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin

Overview

The ravages of (neo)colonialism and extractive capitalism have systematically threatened and stripped Indigenous communities of their land rights and sovereignty, contributing to environmental degradation and grave injustices of an existential magnitude. Widespread grassroots resistance intertwines the struggle for decolonisation with the struggle for sustainable practices.

This panel explores how artists and collectives are working at the intersection of art, sustainability and ecological practice, (re)learning Indigenous and agrarian traditions as well as marshalling new green technologies and practices in emancipatory ways. It also addresses how such practices enable renewed forms of self-sufficiency and cultural resilience, while ensuring that environmental justice is maintained.

How can the convergence of art, science and agrarian heritage bridge class and demographic divides? What role can farmers and Indigenous activists assume alongside cultural actors in the public sphere? How can ancestral knowledge be (re)learned to create shared prosperity, ecological stewardship and collective liberation for Indigenous peoples?

Watch the video here