Why Collectives? - Live BEMAC conversations panel | Creator Tales 027

About this episode

A panel discussion on the role of artistic collectives in the current arts landscape and their impact on collaboration and community.

Featuring RINA. Nejmere, Megan Cope, Sirena Varma and Facilitated by Dylan Prins. The role of the artistic collective in the current arts landscape”. In today’s CALD arts scene, collectives are redefining collaboration, creativity, and community. This panel brings together artists to discuss the power of working collectively—how it fosters innovation, amplifies voices, and shapes the cultural landscape. Sirena Varma Sirena Varma is a multidisciplinary designer with a background in architecture and a decade of experience across graphic design, branding, and exhibition design. She co-founded Twig, an interdisciplinary collaborative offering flexible design solutions for global brands and academic institutions. Her commitment to community care and creative activism also led to Magan-djin Creatives for Palestine, a grassroots collective that unites local creatives in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Through projects like Blatt & Matonelli, Sirena’s work merges traditional practices with contemporary design, using interdisciplinary collaboration to explore identity, heritage, and the power of collective art making. Megan Cope A Quandamooka artist from Moreton Bay/Minjerribah…

People in this episode

Host: Dylan Prins

Guests: RINA., Nejmere, Megan Cope, Sirena Varma

Topics covered

• artistic collective
• collaboration
• creativity
• community
• CALD arts scene

Keywords

• innovation
• cultural landscape
• art
• collective art making

Mentioned in this episode

Products: SOLCHLD, Twig, Magan-djin Creatives for Palestine

Books & works: the Creative Australia Award for Emerging and Experimental Arts, Jane Lombard Prize for Arts and Social Justice, Heal Sistah, Creator Tales

Places: Moreton Bay/Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island, Meanjin, Magandjin, Eastern Mediterranean, magandjin, Far North Queensland, North-East Arnhem Land, Brisbane, UAE

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