Artspace

Radha

Language/Language group: Tamil/Malayalee/English

Instagram: @radhalabia

5, 6, 7, 8

Titled after the song by pop band Steps, 5, 6, 7, 8 shows me in my domestic space running through 52 steps to create one of my family’s coveted dishes. This recipe has only been handed down by the matriarch of the family to me.

Artist bio

Shahmen Suku was born in 1987 in Singapore and arrived in Australia in 2009. They are a performance artist based in Sydney who explore ideas of racial, religious and cultural identity, gender roles, the home and the kitchen, food and storytelling. Growing up in a modern matriarchal Indian family in Singapore, Shahmen processes his sense of displacement from home as Radha, the Diva from India. Moving to Australia has given Shahmen multiple perspectives on migration, culture, race, colonisation and gender identity. Shahmen discusses these issues openly through his alter ego, Radha, sharing stories the way she learnt them from his mother’s kitchen. Radha’s multifaceted practice has also seen them perform/host numerous music festivals and events, shows and workshops for kids and a Chef for the TV show The Set on The ABC.