Imagination for Liberation

My name is Thiseni Kristhorubadu and I am an interdisciplinary artist who is an immigrant-settler on the traditional territory of the W̱sáneć, Kwantlen, Stó:lō, Tsawwassen, Semiahmoo, Katzie, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla communities and nations. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Curatorial Practices at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

My works are informed by my dual identity as a subject of a post-colonial state and as an immigrant-settler in a settler colonial state in relation to land and belonging. I am interested in examining the ways in which white-settler colonialism manifests in my daily life, as well as the ripple effects it has in the communities that I am a part of. I find art to be a valuable tool in disrupting these dominant white narratives through taking up and creating space for uncomfortable dialogues and public condemnation to take place.

Artist Statement

Organic Worms is a tongue-in-cheek play on the idiom “opening a can of worms” and contains a poem inspired by personal and collective experiences of working for white women. The work aims to publicly condemn racist microaggressions, hypocrisy, and false narratives perpetuated by individuals and institutions within the Vancouver art scene, while creating space for folks who have had similar experiences to share and listen. I am looking to combat the isolation that comes with racist encounters in spaces that claim to prioritize decolonization, anti-racism, and inclusion by showing People of Colour as well as Black and Indigenous folks that we aren’t alone in these experiences.

Reflection and Connection to "Imagination for Liberation"

I hope the rageful humour with the sobering anecdote of white supremacy in Organic Worms can help us see our common foes and aid in coming together to fight for our collective liberation and imagine alternate futures. A liberation from all boss-structures, metaphorical and literal, my white woman bosses, your racist landlord, caste systems, nation-states, transnational corporations, and neo imperialist powers.

I find rage to be a powerful tool in this work. Rage is what drives me off the edge to imagine the “what if not?” This does not have to be my or your reality. Let us use our ancestral rage to nurture the entangled forests of liberatory work done before us and will continue long after.

As Kimmortal said in “Stop business as usual”:

Real love’s in decolonization

Total liberation of all nations

Stop the killings! End the occupation!

Changing using radical imagination, together we’re amazing.