FEM-me: A Choreography of Feminist Robotics in Bankstown

Bankstown Arts Centre’s latest exhibition FEM-me: Feminine Mechanics and Other Kinetic Systems welcomes leading female perspectives on contemporary robotics into its gallery space. Featuring the works of Lian Loke, Narjis Mirza, Dagmar Reinhardt, Mari Velonaki and Wendy Zhang and curated by Deborah Turnbull Tillman and Rachael Kiang, this exhibition uses moving image, installation and kinetic sculpture to explore human-robot interactions from female perspectives. 

Previously platformed in white cube spaces such as Tin Sheds Gallery, USYD (Australia) and TU Delft Library (The Netherlands), the group of key thinkers from the 2022 SHErobots exhibition continues to extend this dialogue by inviting two Western Sydney artists into the show, and by creating new collaborative works that trace the contemporary transformation of women’s bodies and minds.

“A lot of what is being produced in the industry is autonomous machines that impersonate humans –we’re more interested in the collaborative side and how we can partner with robots.” Artist Lian Loke said. Loke and Dagmar Reinhardt have been collaborating with each other since 2012, and the show includes their latest work Ripple Affect (2024).

The female perspective on robotics continues to imagine beyond coding and the automated. “As an artist who has been creating immersive light and sound installations, I joined this exhibition to explore the female participation in the field of robotics,” Mirza said.

The movement of each 'mechanic' creates an open conversation between the works, but also becomes a witness to the corporeal relationships that the makers of these robotics had with their works.

The FEM-Me exhibition runs until 9 November with a full suite of public program events. Celebrate the closing of the exhibition with the artists at a panel discussion, with live art performance by Lian Loke. For more information, visit cb.city/FEM-Me

Bankstown Arts Centre is situated on the Cabrogal land of the Darug nation. It is a vibrant contemporary multi-arts organisation that advocates for diverse and accessible art with a strong focus on Canterbury-Bankstown, Western Sydney, First Nations and CALD artists. The arts centre is embedded in the community, creating projects that connect people and address critical issues of this time. 

(Images:  From top: Lian Loke, Dagmar Reinhardt, Dean Qiulin Li)