I Am Not A Virus is our artist-led project to confront the xenophobia and racism that accompanied the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We received 100+ proposals from Asian-identifying creatives across the country in a huge range of practice areas: visual arts, writing, poetry, performance, screen, audio-visual, music, and comedy, and have selected 48 artists to commission work that will be showcased on the project website. Congratulations to the creatives.
The project aims to bust stereotypes and provide a counter-narrative to issues of long-standing racism in Australia that are revealing themselves in the face of COVID-19. We wanted works that engage, inspire, start conversations, which can be shared widely to counter racism in our communities.
Thank you to our selection panel: Mikala Tai (4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art), Imogen Yang (Insightful, NSW), Hoa Pham (Peril magazine, VIC) and Joon-Yee Kwok (Australian Bureau of Asian Creatives, QLD); our funders: Australia Council, City of Sydney and City of Parramatta; and, partners: Asian Australian Alliance, Democracy in Colour and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
Successful Creatives are listed in alphabetical first-name order:
- Aimee Butler (TAS)
- Amy Zhang (NSW*) + Maggz (VIC)
- Ana Nguyen (NSW*)
- Andrea Srisurapon (NSW*)
- Audrey Alim (NSW*)
- Benjamin Tsok Wee Yap (VIC)
- Celine Cheung (NSW*)
- Christine Lai (NSW**)
- Deborah Faye Lee & Sarah Tan (NSW* & VIC)
- Derek Ho (VIC)
- Desmond Mah (WA)
- Dyan Tai (NSW*)
- Eric Jiang (NSW*)
- Eunice Andrada (NSW**)
- Huyen Hac Helen Tran (NSW**)
- Jacqueline Dixon (VIC)
- Jacqueline (Jackie) Lo (VIC)
- Jacqueline Mohr (NSW*)
- Jacqueline Pon (NT)
- Jayanto Tan (NSW**)
- Jin Hien Lau (NSW**)
- Jocelin Meredith (VIC)
- Joe Lui Shang Yu (WA) & Deborah Ong (VIC)
- Judy Kuo (VIC)
- Kim Pham & Alaa Alfaraon (NSW**)
- Lawrence Liang & Christian Tilla (NSW*)
- Kelly Huynh (NSW*)
- Lili Mikami (QLD)
- Maria Tran (NSW*)
- Matcho Cassidy (SA)
- Mimi Leung (VIC)
- Nathan Liow (VIC)
- Priyanka Bromhead (NSW**)
- Rowena Rasmussen (NSW*)
- Sai-Wai Foo (VIC)
- Sara Zeinab Mir (NSW)
- Sean Stephen Ryan (VIC)
- Sophia Cai (VIC)
- Sophie Zhou (NSW*)
- Susan Ling Young (NSW**)
- Sweet and Sour (ACT)
- Sydney Farey (ACT)
- Tien Tran (NSW*)
- Tina Huang (NSW*)
- Thuy Nguyen (NSW*)
- Wina Jie (VIC)
- Youbi Lee (VIC)
- Zachary Lopez (NSW*)
*City of Sydney funded recipient.
**City of Parramatta funded recipient.