Léuli Eshrāghi (Sāmoa, born in Yuwi country, Australia; lives in Mparntwe / Alice Springs, Australia, and Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal, Canada) is fascinated with languages, histories, and forms of knowledge discredited by colonialism and “militourism.” This neologism designates the pernicious reciprocal relations between the military and tourism industries, each propping up the existence and legitimacy of the other to the detriment of the bodies of Indigenous islanders and other racialized people, which both industries persist in apprehending as spaces to colonize. Combining performance, video, animation, writing, and installation, Eshrāghi renews futurities by reinstating them with Indigenous pleasures and identities. Their projects are aimed, among other things, at restoring marginalized voices, such as those of faʻafafine/faʻatama—people who identify as belonging to a third, or even a fourth, gender, or who have a non-binary role in Sāmoan culture—and healing Indigenous bodies, including their own.

Born

Yuwi country, Australia

Country / Nation

Sāmoa, Yuwi country, Australia / Canada

Lives

Mparntwe / Alice Springs, Australia, and Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal, Canada

Website

leulieshraghi.art