Launched by Councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba Ward)

About

Councillor Jonathan Sri is a writer, musician and community worker who was elected in March 2016 as Brisbane’s first ever Greens city councillor, representing the Gabba Ward.

Jonno campaigned on a bold platform focussed on making our city more sustainable, equitable and democratic, and addressing the negative impacts of gentrification and speculative property investment. He is firmly opposed to unsustainable, profit-oriented over-development, and believes that residents should have more say over how their city changes and evolves.

Jonathan was successfully re-elected in March 2020, and is prioritising local issues such as housing affordability and economic justice, improving public transport, creating more walkable pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods, greening our city, greater support for the arts and community events, and greater transparency and democratic accountability in local government.

Listen to Councillor Jonathan Sri’s Poetry for the opening of UnMasked Exhibition

Opening Remarks by Artist and Designer Sharka Bosakova

I pay respect to the Turrbal and Yugara people, the traditional owners of this land on which we are gathering.

Coming from the heritage of two world wars, from the memory of The Velvet Revolution in 1989 in the Czech Republic, where unprecedently, unheard of a writer, thinker and philosopher Vaclav Havel became the president of a nation. This was one of the pivotal moments of my life. It gave me a lifelong belief that change is possible. Not only change but that we, as people, can create something out of nothing.

After finishing my bachelor’s at TU Liberec, and obtaining from my masters from Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. I became interested in anthropology. I became interested in Australia.

My motivation to land on the red soil of Australia was purely idealistic. I was chasing the never-ending horizon on the other side of the world, the dream time stories written in the stars, the vast and empty space where I could project myself without any strong outside influences. You know, create from the core.

The inner and personal motivation for UnMAsked, which was conceived in the pre-COVID era has grown from disappointment. When you come to a new place, you are uniquely vulnerable. Your mental model is based on your experience so far, but it has to change, it has to absorb and adjust. Imagine you would have to unmask everything around yourself.

Imagine if people were dressed by their thoughts and intentions. Reflect, to ponder upon the idea that we merely are a reflection a splinter of each other’s experiences, that on the end, yes we are one if you are willing to stay open.

I would like to thank the team for not saying no and jumping on the UnMasked journey: Mark, Tinni, Thomas, Golda, Megan and RAW bodies, Robert, Paul, Tom, Erin, Joseph, Peter, Simon, Jacob, Karlo and Doug.

I hope you enjoy the work and have some fun exploring the possibilities of Self-reflection, but most importantly, I am thankful for the human connection we are able to share and the reality we can create together.

“Sometimes, the only way we can speak is through a shadow in the corner of the room—it begins in shadow, and it slowly covers the room in light.”

Please welcome the wonderful dream that Megan Janet White and her RAW bodies have weaved for us.

Butoh dance performance by Megan Janet White + RAW Bodies, with music performance by Paul Young (Orthotyp-a) and Robert Lort (Black Cactus)

Closing & Thank you by MC: Dr Mark Bahnisch