Sumugan Sivanesan

Sumugan Sivanesan is an anti-disciplinary artist and researcher whose interests span migrant histories, minority politics, activist media, artist infrastructures and more-than-human rights. He earned a doctorate from the Transforming Cultures research centre at the University of Technology Sydney (2014) and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for English and American Studies (Cultural Studies), University of Potsdam (2016) supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He is active with Black Earth, a Berlin-based collective who address interacting issues of racism, gender, colonialism and climate justice, and is a member of Pixelache Helsinki.

http://sivanesan.net


At HIAP Sumugan will continue to develop fugitive radio, an artistic research project he has been developing in Helsinki since August 2020 with support from the Kone Foundation (2020–21). fugitive radio has emerged as a vehicle for migrant, anticolonial and queer issues and music in Helsinki and beyond. Via workshops and events, it pursues experimental modes of live and collectively produced ‘performance–radio’, preferably working with free and opensource technologies and culture, and often in collaboration with the independent online radio platform {openradio}. In 2021, fugitive radio’s monthly podcast, ‘fugitive frequency’, will be available on Helsinki Open Waves. During his residency Sumugan will be working towards installation outcomes and live art events, furthering collaborations with representatives from diverse communities and organisations in Finland.

Sumugan Sivanesan’s residency is realised with support from The Australia Council for the Arts.