Artists talk with invited artists Michelle Nguyen, Salima Punjani and Melanie Garcia
As part of the programming for Vanessa Yanow and Silas Wamsley's exhibition Interbeing, the two artists will co-host a public Clothing and Ideas Swap with invited artists Michelle Nguyen, Salima Punjani and Melanie Garcia. They will discuss how their relationship to identity and self is negotiated in different artistic settings, such as among peers, alone in the studio and through grant writing or public discussions. Participants will be invited to bring a selection of clothing that they deem special in some way. Clothing is a deeply personal form of self-expression, often reflecting how we see ourselves, how we wish to be perceived, or the roles we navigate in different contexts. Framing this discussion within the context of a clothing swap will create an intimate, supportive and unpretentious atmosphere for participants to step outside their usual choices, exchange stories while trying on new styles, sparking reflection on how identity can be fluid, contextual and multifaceted.
Michelle Nguyen is an artist and writer currently residing in Tiohtiá:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal. Her love of craftsmanship and materiality has led her to pursue many different mediums: Oil paint, wood, ceramics, bronze, and bread, to name a few. Her work often examines how death and grief shape the way we move throughout the world. She has a Bachelor’s of Environmental Design from the University of British Columbia and is currently an MFA candidate at Concordia University.
Salima Punjani is a Montréal-based multisensory artist whose work explores connection, care, and sensory accessibility through immersive sound, touch, and interactive installation. With a background in social work, her practice blends art and relational ethics, transforming biological
and everyday sensory data—such as heartbeats, brainwaves, or domestic soundscapes—into environments that invite rest, empathy, and shared experience. Her projects, including Will You Pass the Salt? (PHI Foundation) and The Cost of Entry is a Heartbeat (Spatial Sound Institute, Budapest), consider multiple sensory entry points for people to experience the work. Working across sound, vibration, soft sculptures, multimedia and participatory storytelling, Salima creates spaces that challenge traditional sensory hierarchies, contributing to contemporary conversations on accessibility, intimacy, and multisensory artistic practice.
Melanie Garcia is a Filipino-Canadian artist and art educator born in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/ Montréal. Informed by collage methodologies her work explores identity, dislocation and cultural knowledge. Using family archives, digital manipulation, and printmaking, Garcia’s work
navigates the intersections of personal history, fiction, and the mutable nature of memory. She is pursuing an MFA in Studio Arts at Concordia University, is part of the Textiles & Materiality research cluster at Milieux Institute and is board member of Céline Bureau.
