Panel talk | Hoda Afshar, Vernon Ah Kee and Behrouz Boochani

Next date: Saturday, 14 March 2026 | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

A Biennale of Sydney event organised and supported by Change the Record and Campbelltown Arts Centre

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion exploring the key themes, processes and the urgent call to action of ‘Code Black/Riot’ (2025).

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Exploring the intersection of art and advocacy, ‘Code Black/Riot’ is a seminal collaboration between visual artists Hoda Afshar and Vernon Ah Kee, and writer Behrouz Boochani. The project – supported by First Nations advocacy organisation Change the Record and developed through a series of community visits, relational dialogue and time on Country – shines a spotlight on the crisis of mass incarceration of First Nations young people in Australia.

This panel talk is a unique opportunity to hear directly from the artists, First Nations advocates and those with lived experience of carceral systems. Together, the panelists will explore critical themes at the heart of this project, including:

The potential of art to change the way we see and fight for a better world
How art and advocacy processes can tell stories of individuals facing systemic injustice who refuse to be defined by the violences they experience
The importance of centering community and lived experience in art and advocacy.

Join us to hear these reflections, gain insight into ‘Code Black/Riot’, and learn more about the youth justice crisis facing First Nations children.

This event will be Auslan interpreted.