2019 INTERSECT participants

Cheryl Martin is a poet, playwright and director, and was a former Associate Director, New Writing/New Work at Contact and Director-in-Residence at Edinburgh’s Traverse. Recently Cheryl was the Guest Curator at Liverpool’s Homotopia in 2018; Co-Artistic Director, Black Gold Arts Festival; created solo show One Woman for 2019 Unlimited Commission, Wellcome Collection Partnership Award; solo show Alaska at 2019 Summerhall Edinburgh Fringe.

Genevieve Grieves is a Worimi woman from Southeast Australia based in Melbourne. She is an award-winning artist, curator and content creator committed to sharing First Peoples histories and cultures and shifting colonising frameworks and practices. Genevieve is also an educator who teaches at the University of Melbourne and in community and organizational contexts.

Melanie Abrahams is a curator, producer and mentor who has channeled a love of words and books into projects and initiatives. She’s founder of independently run organisations Renaissance One and Tilt, which make regular use of events, tours and commissions to highlight the diverse canons of British and international literature.

Nur Shkembi is a Melbourne based curator and PhD scholar currently undertaking research in art and post-colonial theory at the University of Melbourne. Nur has produced over 150 events, exhibitions and community engagement projects with a focus on the presence of the contemporary Muslim narrative in the cultural landscape.

Pearl Tan is a screen content maker and educator. She is the founder and director of Pearly Productions, a filmmaking boutique with a focus on diverse stories. She is the Senior Lecturer in Directing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School and is completing her PhD in Creative Practice.

Sharmilla Beezmohun has worked in publishing since 1994. She co-founded Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions in 2010 with Sarah Sanders. Previous work includes eleven years as Deputy Editor of Wasafiri, the Magazine of International Contemporary Writing, plus stints at Virago and Heinemann’s African and Caribbean Writers Series among others.

Tian Zhang is a curator and cultural producer interested in socially-engaged, alternative and activist curatorial methodologies. Tian is the Chair of Firstdraft, Australia’s longest running artist-led organisation, a founding co-director of Pari, a new artist-run initiative for Parramatta, and creates programming for Parramatta Artists’ Studios.

Vicki Amedume is the Artistic Director of Upswing in the UK, a leading contemporary circus company which she founded in 2006. Vicki Amedume initially trained as a research scientist, entering the circus world in 1997 where she worked as an aerialist across many different circus contexts. Vicki was Associate Director of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival from 2004 to 2006, and undertakes extensive circus and aerial consultation work.