About Us

DIRECTOR

Georgia Hayward [she/her] is an Meanjin-based artist, curator and artsworker with cultural connections to the Maranganji people in west QLD. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) and Bachelor of Business (Management) from the Queensland University of Technology.

Georgia has worked across several arts organisations, including the Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery and previously as the Exhibitions Coordinator at Outer Space. In addition to these roles, she has also curated several independent exhibitions and public programs.

Her practice explores the influence of public space on contemporary social dynamics and community development through social, spatial and digital practices to engage with polyphonic and polycentric readings of public space - cultivating a collaborative approach to art-making.

EXHIBITIONS ASSISTANT

Keemon is a queer interdisciplinary Meanjin (Brisbane) based artist and curator of Koa, Kuku Yalanji and Meriam Mir descent. He utilizes a diverse range of mediums and performative elements to interrogate the relationships between location, personal histories and the manifestation of culture in a postcolonial world. His practice seeks to critically examine facets of his identity and its intrinsic tethering to the wider context of being “Australian.” Responding to realms of space and time, cultural production and psuedo-ethnic representations, Keemon views culture as an alloy, to be forged and adapted to find belonging within and beyond the self.

He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) from QUT, where he received the Hilde Chenhall Memorial Scholarship for Visual Art, and was selected for the 2020 edition of Hatched National Graduate Exhibition at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. Keemon is also a founding member of ANTHEM ARI, an independent group dedicated to the celebration of BIPOC voices in the arts.

PROMOTIONS OFFICER

Nadeem is a Samoan/Iranian artist, designer, community organiser based on Turrbal and Yuggera country. They’ve worked across a range of music and arts contexts over the last decade and are genuinely drawn towards the cultivation of sustainable, creative, and intentional communities. Their expressive practices are multidisciplinary and experimental, intersecting sound, sight and material forms to invite sensory experiences, explore the human condition, and offer contemporary rituals. They’re also part of Echo & Bounce, a community space and grassroots collective nurturing emergent practices across music and arts.

INSTALL ASSISTANT

Cassin Demnar (she/her) is a versatile arts professional specialising in installation, curation, and gallery support in Meanjin (Brisbane). Currently, Cassin works across several arts institutions as an Installation Technician focusing mainly on supporting the exhibition programs at Outer Space and QAGOMA. Her expertise in artwork handling, exhibition display, audio-visual, lighting and exhibition logistics has supported the delivery of ambitious exhibitions from a wide variety of emerging to established artists.

Cassin was also the Founder and Curator of LOOK and oversaw the exhibition programming, social engagement and audience participation. Her diverse background includes roles in art direction, installation, and studio assistance for Grain Magazine, Shandy, Brisbane Powerhouse and Mas & Miek Ceramics House. Cassin is deeply committed to uplifting and advocating for artists in Meanjin through professional exhibition outcomes.

CHAIR

Sam Cranstoun’s multidisciplinary practice combines various forms of research with a wide array of media to create work that investigates different systems of representation. His practice traverses a variety of mediums, including collage, sculpture, painting, drawing, watercolour, sculpture and video, focusing on historical figures, events and images as a way of exploring how history and current affairs are shaped and how we respond to them. Cranstoun completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours at the Queensland University of Technology in 2010. His work is held in several collections including the University of Queensland Art Museum, the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, The Museum of Brisbane, Artbank and various private collections. He is represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane.

SECRETARY

Blade (he/him) is a Senior Associate in the Workplace Relations practice group of the global law firm HFW. He practises nationally across Australia and is based in Meanjin. Blade’s areas of expertise include employment, industrial relations and discrimination law. He regularly acts for clients in both advisory and litigious matters, and has experience appearing in industrial tribunals as a solicitor-advocate.

He is an avid art-goer and has a particular interest in contemporary South East Asian art.

TREASURER

Reza Monem (PhD, FCPA, CA) is a Professor of Accounting at Griffith University. Reza brings financial expertise and international experience to the board. He was educated in Bangladesh, the U.S.A., and Australia. He has been teaching and researching at Griffith since 2005. Previously, he held academic positions at the University of Dhaka (Bangladesh), the National University of Singapore, and the University of Queensland. He specializes in research on corporate governance, financial reporting quality, executive pay, diversity, and Indigenous business. Previously, he served as the Deputy Head of the Department and the Director of the Corporate Governance and Accountability Research Cluster. Reza is the Editor-in-Chief of Accounting Research Journal. He is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and emerging artists.

Amelia McLeish is a contemporary artist, researcher, and artsworker based in Meanjin/Brisbane. With a Master of Philosophy in the arts sector and extensive experience leading Artist-run Initiatives since 2019, she champions experimental, socially-engaged, and emerging artistic practices. Amelia’s work critically examines how the institution and commercial art spaces shape contemporary art, focusing on branding, mass media, and commodity-signs to question cultural production. Through her practice, she fosters critical discourse and actively supports the growth of her local arts community.

Lauren is a communications, events, and audience engagement specialist with close to 15 years’ experience across the A&D industry in North America and Australia. Working with artists, media, and partners, she enjoys crafting meaningful stories that educate, inform, and inspire audiences. Currently working with the Critical Care Research Group at The Prince Charles Hospital, the largest preclinical ICU in the Southern Hemisphere, Lauren has delivered audience engagement and public relations campaigns for Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Luxxbox Design Studio, Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre (Katherine, NT) and Opera Queensland. She holds a Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) from The University of Queensland and is delighted to have joined the Outer Space board in 2022.

Katrina is the Managing Director of the Social Impact Studio. She has over 20 years’ international experience in strategy, communications, stakeholder engagement, innovation, fundraising, change and transformation. She has led teams and projects across startups, charities, healthcare organisations, government agencies, as well as FTSE100, ASX and Big Four organisations in the United Kingdom, South America, the Middle East and Australia. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK, she holds a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism and English Literature) from the University of Queensland and a Global Executive MBA from Monash Business School. She is a local and life-long lover of art – and is beyond thrilled to be supporting emerging artists by joining the Outer Space board.

Emma Szczotko is a corporate governance, strategy and risk management professional with 10 years’ experience working across public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Emma is a Director, Strategy & Governance within Queensland Government, and previously worked in governance and reporting roles in HOTA, Home of the Arts and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. Before moving into governance, Emma worked as a lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills. Emma holds a Bachelor of Law (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (Art History) from UQ and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Brierly is an intellectual property and technology lawyer at Gadens and a creative who is passionate about art as storytelling and giving voice to diverse perspectives. She is experienced in advising multinational tech and social media companies across various practice areas, including copyright, trade mark, defamation, competition and consumer law, privacy and data compliance. Brierly has previously worked in entertainment law with experience in relation to film and TV productions and musical artists.

Brierly’s creative background includes acting and filmmaking, as well as dabbling in all art forms (whenever she has the time!), from circus to poetry slam to fiction writing of dubious quality. She is excited to be part of and to contribute to the Outer Space gallery and their wonderful offerings for both the artists and the wider community.

Sophia Nampitjimpa Sambono is a Jingili woman with family connections from Elliot/Newcastle Waters to Darwin, Daly River and the Tiwi Islands. After completing a Master of Arts in Museums and Collections at ANU Sophia took on roles in a number of National institutions, including Curator of Indigenous Collections at the National Film and Sound Archive (2008-2016).

As a project officer for kuril dhagun at the State Library of Queensland (2016-2020), she curated a number of exhibitions providing a voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, showcasing their knowledge, culture and language.

Now as the Associate Curator of Australian Indigenous Art Sophia is responsible for development, display, interpretation and custodianship of the Gallery’s Indigenous Australian Art Collection. She is working on a number of exhibitions opening in 2024, including 'Seeds + Sovereignty' and the 11th Asia Pacific Triennale.

Beginning her career with degrees in Fine Arts with Art History, and postgraduate studies in Art Curatorship and Museum Studies from the University of Canterbury in Aotearoa, Natasha worked in the commercial and public arts sectors within the Asia Pacific region prior to joining UAP in 2009.

Highly skilled in curating art for the public realm, having developed art master plans and strategies, conducted creative placemaking and delivered art programs for commercial developments, Natasha has master-planned art for cities and community spaces across Australia, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe.