ICS Seminar Series - Sophia Kouyoumdjian

Date: Thursday 9 April 2015
Time: 11.30am - 1pm
Venue: EB.2.21, Western Sydney University, Parramatta South campus

Sophia Kouyoumdjian, Liam Benson and Ella Condon in conversation

Parramatta Artists Studios – an urban epicentre for contemporary art production

Abstract

Parramatta Artists Studios opened in 2006 housing 14 studios for artists from across disciplines and across career-stages. PAS quickly became an epicentre for key cultural production in Western Sydney through studio tenancies, residencies and a workshop program. Due to dedicated studio spaces, a strong collegiate artist environment and professional support, PAS artists typically experience a surge in production as well as the opening up of professional opportunities. Positioned within the Parramatta CBD, PAS is now firmly placed as a creative driver for the evolving city of Parramatta and its vital economy and has provided studio space for a number of UWS alumni including Liam Benson, Erna Lilje, Felicity Castagn and Naomi Oliver.

Biographies

Sophia Kouyoumdjian has worked in the arts sector for over 15 years across directorial, curatorial and exhibition management roles. Currently the Coordinator of Parramatta Artists Studios, and previously the Acting Director and Curator at Blacktown Arts Centre, Sophia has comprehensive experience in Western Sydney's contemporary arts sector. Sophia is a Board Member at Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) (Parramatta) and a Committee Member for Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group (SAMAG).

Liam Benson is a performance artist who documents his work through photography, video and new media. Benson's work deconstructs the social perceptions of gender, race, culture, sexuality and identity by cross-referencing art, popular culture and media language. Exhibiting and performing extensively since 2002, Liam has also been awarded the Hazlehurst Works on Paper Award (2001), the Fisher's Ghost Art Award for Contemporary work (2011) and the Joseph and Win Schubert photography award (2013).

Ella Condon is a PAS artist.

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The Institute for Culture and Society is located in Parramatta, “the place where the eel sets down” in Dharug language,
along the north bank of the Parramatta River. It sits on the traditional lands and waters of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug Nation,
who have been stewards and caretakers of these territories since time immemorial, in what today is referred to as Greater Western Sydney,
one of the most diverse cultural communities in the world and home to the largest number of Indigenous Australians in the country.
The Institute for Culture and Society acknowledges the Dharug, Eora, Dharawal (also referred to as Tharawal)
and Wiradjuri peoples as traditional custodians and Indigenous knowledge-holders, whose storytelling serve
as historical record, a form of teaching and learning, a way to care for Country,
and an expression of Indigenous culture and identity.