Over the past twenty years, the field of anthropology (the scientific study of cultures) has experienced a radical shift. In this episode, visual artist Sameer Farooq talks with Qanita Lilla about how his interdisciplinary practice interrogates the colonial history of museums. He considers the unexpected stories that are left behind after collections are displaced to the west and his work adds a critical, yet delicate layer to this debate. Some of his most compelling work touches on what we do not see, the abstract patterns of light that bounces off museum glass, the shifting coils of museum packaging material and the negative space within navels.

In this episode, Qanita Lilla talks with the celebrated artist, Jamelie Hassan about growing up as a first generation Arab Canadian. Jamelie talks about how, with her parent’s encouragement, she traversed continents to study art and to find her creative voice. She does not separate the role of her community in the founding of the artist-run centre, Embassy Cultural House in London, Ontario, and neither does she preclude the valuable, life-long contribution of her beloved life-partner and artist, Ron Benner.

We are back with a brand new season of With Opened Mouths. The podcast where we get exceptional creatives to speak for themselves. I am your host Qanita Lilla, Curator of Canadian and African art at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University.

Join us as we hear from artists, scholars, musicians and media workers working in Canada and Africa today. This season, my guests share how lived experience impacts creative practice, the role of intergenerational learning and how travel expands perspectives, and the importance of collaboration. We also hear how art, language, Black history and music help shape worlds of possibility, trust and resilience.

Episodes of With Opened Mouths are released monthly, and you can find them on Digital Agnes, CFRC’s website and on your favorite podcasting platform starting on the 25th of September 2026!

ElizaBeth Hill talks with Qanita Lilla and guest host Sebastian De Line about her music practice that spans multiple decades. She shares how her songwriting and multimedia artworks reflect her Mohawk culture, are connected to both her spiritual and physical environment, and how they are influenced by her collaborators.

Music highlighted in this episode:

ElizaBeth Hill. “Peacemaker’s Lullaby.” Peacemaker’s Lullaby, 2005, #6. Courtesy of the artist.

Sadiqa de Meijer writes between two languages. She has a keen emotional awareness of both Dutch (her mother tongue) and English (the language of her adoptive country). In this conversation with Qanita Lilla, Sadiqa talks about writing “between” these two languages and of having to balance their stylistic tendencies. Interspersed with readings from Sadiqa, we learn about her life enriched by the pain and joy of cultural pluralism.

In this episode, Qanita Lilla talks with Emebet Belete about her community-driven art projects and her passion for arts education. Emebet shares how her art has been influenced by her youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, global travels, and how her art practice has evolved to include large-scale projects which cover pieces of public infrastructure through a process called “yarn storming.”

In this episode, Garth Erasmus, South African artist and musician talks with Qanita Lilla about how the experience of apartheid and forced removals shaped his artistic practice. He talks about navigating a white world and of balancing the urgent need to respond to the trauma of apartheid while cultivating his artistic voice. Sound work and music provided a useful medium toward healing for Garth, and it allowed a means towards embracing an Indigenous Khoisan identity.

Music highlighted in this episode:

Garth Ersamus. “Threnody for the KhoiSan.” Threnody for the KhoiSan, TAL, 2024, #7. Courtesy of the artist

Artist Jega Delisca talks with Qanita Lilla about his portraiture practice and how he makes his sitters feel seen by empathizing with their vulnerability. He talks about the importance of building rapport and trust but also of activating a balanced understanding of Black masculinity. Jega’s artistic practice challenges male emotional blindness and he talks about how he moved from painting portraits of others to opening his apartment as a gallery and becoming vulnerable himself.