LAMINE SONKO APPOINTED HONORARY FELLOW UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
We are delighted to announce that 13.12 director Lamine Sonko has been appointed an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne in recognition of his contribution and commitment to delivering intercultural and intergenerational knowledge through the interdisciplinary fields of his artistic practice. This appointment acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and impact in their respective fields. Sonko’s artistic practice and research is deeply rooted in his cultural role as a guewel - a descendant of the Sing Sing clan and Korings of Kaabu, and a member of the Serer, Wolof and Mandinko cultural communities of Senegal. Through his work he has brought together creatives, cultural elders, communities, and academics to highlight ancient metaphysical dimensions and embodied knowledge systems that transcend artistic boundaries, illuminating new ways of understanding our place in the cosmos.
The appointment recognizes his role as a cultural leader who has facilitated collaborative partnerships across disciplines, nurturing a community of artists and collaborators and promoting intercultural learning as a bridge between traditional embodied creative practices and Western epistemologies and pedagogies. Throughout his career, Sonko has voiced complex narratives, sparking vital conversations that promote global indigenous ways of knowing while maintaining authenticity and cultural integrity. He has presented these perspectives through self-determined and uncompromising art, that connects with audiences, fostering new perceptions and challenging norms.
As an Honorary Fellow, Sonko will continue to share his expertise on intercultural, embodied and immersive 'ways of knowing' and new perspectives on how we understand ourselves and the world around us through the arts. Of the appointment, Sonko says he is ‘excited to continue the exchange of ideas, experiences, and artistic practices, that integrate innovative thinking in a practice-based model, promoting new ways of knowing, doing and being’.