A reading salon by Sister Library
Join us for a reading salon hosted by Sister Library, where we celebrate the powerful voices of the Dalit and indigenous women from South Asia. Together we’ll discover a selection of texts and zines that have been forged in the fire of resistance and resilience: vessels of knowledge, stories and cultural practices that have endured for generations in the face the colonisation, patriarchy and systemic attempts at erasure. These writings − books, zines, parchhas and underground publications − highlight the struggles, traditions and ways of life of the Dalit and indigenous women in South Asia, rarely glimpsed in dominant narratives.
These stories are more than just archives: they are a living testament to the ways communities resist and persist through storytelling, language and solidarity. In these shared moments, we will read, discuss and bear witness to the strength, resilience and wisdom of women who have managed to shape their worlds against all odds.
Readers include Özge Akarsu, aqui, Karima Boudou, Juan Duque, Marina Kalleny, Mirra Markhaeva, Phoebe Preuss, Pradnya Jadhav and Ariane Sutthavong
The reading salon takes place at Globe Aroma, Rue de la Braie 26, 1000 Brussels. Drinks will be served from 16:30 and the readings will start at 17:00 sharp. The salon is free and in English. The cycle about Commons in Libraries includes a roundtable, a reading salon and a workshop.
aqui, who founded Sister Library, is a Thangmi woman of the Kiratimma first peoples of the Himalayas. She creates social exchanges and safe spaces to position art as a medium for community healing. Her interdisciplinary practice encompasses ceremonial interventions, performances, drawings, zine-making, flyposting and public interventions, bolstered by participant involvement. Most of her work is collaborative and self-funded. She founded Sister Library, a continuously evolving artwork that offers an in-depth reflection on the visual and reading culture of our times. It is also the first traveling, community-owned and community-run feminist library in South Asia. aqui also runs bombay underground, the artist collective that organised bombay zine fest, the first festival of its kind in South Asia. She has become household name in the underground publishing scene and is one of the driving forces behind the Dharavi art room, a creative space for children and women in Mumbai’s eponymous slum.
Özge Akarsu is a visual artist, filmmaker and researcher who explores subjects like identity, migration and memory. Akarsu’s work engages with communities to question socio-political structures and cultural narratives, reflecting on themes of displacement and belonging.
Karima Boudou is a curator and art historian who focuses on postcolonial studies, archival practices and critical theory. She has organised exhibitions and programmes that highlight underrepresented narratives and connect activism and art. With her work, she contributes to the debate on decolonisation within contemporary art institutions and society at large.
Juan Duque is an artist, researcher and curator whose practice comprises sculpture, performance and video. His work investigates themes of territory, migration and memory, often using found objects and collaborative processes to explore personal and collective histories within shifting social landscapes. He is also the co-founder of the Brussels art centre The Green Corridor.
Marina Kalleny is a photographer and filmmaker whose work explores the recesses of personal and collective memory. Her lens captures the intangible, such as dreams and the elusive nature of time, creating narratives that transcend documentation and weave together past, present and future.
Mirra Markhaeva is an artist and activist who is committed to indigenous rights, environmental issues and cultural preservation. Her work highlights marginalised voices and addresses the impact of colonization, advocating for sustainable futures in her local community and beyond.
Phoebe Preuss is a writer, curator and researcher whose work probes the connections between literature, politics and art. She explores the potential of experimental forms of storytelling for cultural critique, frequently collaborating with artists and institutions to reimagine archives and historical narratives.
Pradnya Jadhav is an artist and curator whose installations, photography and video work tackle themes like diaspora, identity and memory. Her projects often engage with feminist and postcolonial discourses, creating spaces for dialogue and reflection on the complexities of our cultural heritage and sense of community.
Ariane Sutthavong is a curator and cultural mediator working on intercultural exchange, collective practices, identity and cultural heritage. Her work spans a diverse range of cultural contexts, emphasising inclusivity and collaboration to foster a creative dialogue between artists, communities and institutions.
This event is co-produced by Globe Aroma and KANAL-Centre Pompidou in the context of the Brussels Ass Book Fair.
