Join us for a special conversation with visiting Thai artist Kanchalee Ngamdamronk and Sydney-based artist Mehwish Iqbal, recipients of the 2025 Debra Porch Award, moderated by Catherine Woolley, UNSW Galleries Curatorial & Public Engagement Officer.
The Debra Porch Award is a three-year partnership between Creative Australia, UNSW Galleries, and SAC Gallery, Bangkok. Established in honour of the life and work of artist and academic Debra Porch, it supports artists in pursuing long-term engagement through international residencies and strengthening strong intercultural connections across the Asia Pacific region.
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Kanchalee Ngamdamronk is a textile artist exploring belonging, identity, and cultural memory through craft practice. With a background in textile design and weaving, she has worked in interior and fashion design in Thailand and internationally. After studying Shibori and indigo dyeing in Japan, she co-founded Slowstitch Studio, a textile studio focusing on pattern exploration and craftsmanship. Her work navigates the boundaries between craft and art, examining how these categories shift across expanding cultural narratives.
Mehwish Iqbal is a multidisciplinary artist whose diverse practice includes printmaking, painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, writing, and installation. Her work delves into themes of identity, displacement, and human connection, offering a nuanced exploration of belonging and separation. Iqbal’s art reflects on the forced displacement of communities and the lasting effects of conflict on individuals and the environment, emphasising the interdependent relationship between humans and nature.
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