Aisyah

Name: Aisyah Sumito

Age: 19

Pronoun: They/Them

Website: https://aaqilsumito.com/

Describe yourself and what you do in a sentence

I am an independent curator and visual artist interested in supporting other emerging creatives in pursuit of communal collaboration, skill-sharing, networking and visibility in the face of oppression.

Why do you do what you do?

I’m really invested in making individuals visible to each other as a community, and providing some sort of centre-point through which to do so – such as a Facebook group, special projects, workshops or a curated exhibition. In my own visual arts practice I am interested in representing myself and my diversity as a trans nonbinary person, and as a queer Asian person of colour, in the hopes that carving space out for myself will make space for others like me.

What would your autobiography be called?

“A Place to Reckon” maybe? This is the title of a personal project that I recently showcased at Another Project Space, that is based around a lot of anecdotal imagery in relation to my experience with mental illness, and cultural diversity.

What food, drink, song inspires you?

Solange and noname are the two musicians that come to mind, almost always, when I am asked this question. They are both incredibly strong and soft at the same time. I love earl grey tea, and I cook a lot of curry and noodle soups.

List 5 items that are always in your bag

A mug (for coffee), my phone charger, my week-to-view planner, my pocket-sized Bellroy wallet. I try not to carry much.

If you had one message to get out to the world, what would it be?

Don’t let people make you feel small. You are powerful and deserving of the space that you sometimes, or often, are not afforded.

What are you listening to at the moment?

A Courtney Barnett CD on repeat.

What is your go-to coffee order?

I change between a double espresso with two sugars over ice, or an iced long black with two sugars.

 If you had all the money in the world to spend, what kind of vacation would you plan?

I would go visit my friends around the world. 

If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

Probably a durian. They have a hard spiky exterior, they’re kind of smelly, and people have such mixed feelings about them.

 INTERVIEWED BY: Carolyn Ting