How do I imagine? A lecture by Megan Tamati-Quennell

Megan Tamati-Quennell responds to the curatorial question 'How do I imagine?' through her conception and realisation of Ihi, a curatorial project for Sharjah Biennial 16: to carry, held in Sharjah in 2025.

Drawing on Māori philosopher Māori Marsden's definition of ihi as 'a psychic rather than a spiritual force,' the presentation explores how transcendent power can operate within curatorial practice as a catalyst for cross-cultural solidarity. Tamati-Quennell discusses her curatorial methodology of foregrounding Indigeneity and First Nations art as central and generative forces, and how this offered alternate modalities and frames to the globe-spanning exhibition.

The lecture also contemplates the wider structure of Sharjah Biennial 16, developed collectively by five women-of-colour curators, addressing questions such as: What does it entail to carry your home, ancestors and political formations with you? Within Ihi, these propositions resonate through ideas of carrying land, history, grief, embodied and reclaimed knowledges, and speculative futures intrinsic to First Nations cultures.