Holding on to your identity as a contemporary artist: community, queerness, perceptions and traditions

Holding on to your identity as a contemporary artist: community, queerness, perceptions and traditions

In this episode of IETM Global Pod, moderator Silvia Ribero is joined by Femi Adebajo (Nigeria) and Miloš Janjić(Serbia) for a rich and deeply personal conversation about artistic identity, marginalisation, queerness, community, and the realities of creating contemporary performance work outside mainstream structures. Together, they explore how artists navigate social expectations, build alternative support systems, connect local and international communities, and use art as a tool for resistance, visibility, and social transformation. GUESTS Silvia Ribero (Italy) Performing artist, artivist, and cultural strategist based in the Italian Alps. Silvia works with Biloura, an intercultural and transdisciplinary performing arts collective focused on both local and international artistic exchange. Femi Adebajo (Nigeria) Dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, and artistic director of Future of Dance Company in Lagos. Femi’s work combines movement, film, performance art, objects, and multimedia to explore identity, tradition, queerness, and contemporary Nigerian society. Miloš Janjić (Serbia) Choreographer, multimedia artist, producer, and representative of Serbia’s independent dance scene. Based in Belgrade, Miloš works across contemporary dance, collective organising, queer artistic practice, and cultural advocacy. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * Artistic freedom beyond disciplinary boundaries * Building contemporary dance communities in Nigeria and Serbia * Creating art outside mainstream cultural institutions * Queer identity, visibility, and representation in performance * Self-organised learning and peer-to-peer artistic exchange * The relationship between local communities and international collaboration * Art as activism, resistance, and social responsibility * Challenging traditional perceptions of artists and performance KEY DISCUSSION POINTS FINDING ARTISTIC FREEDOM THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY PRACTICE The guests reflect on how their artistic journeys evolved beyond single disciplines, combining dance, film, performance art, multimedia, costume, and community work to create more authentic forms of expression. CREATING CONTEMPORARY ART IN MARGINALISED CONTEXTS Femi and Miloš discuss the challenges of working in environments where contemporary dance and experimental art remain underfunded, misunderstood, or socially marginalised, and how independent communities become essential support systems. SELF-ORGANISATION & PEER LEARNING The conversation explores the importance of informal education, collective learning, and self-organised artistic spaces where artists exchange knowledge, skills, and support outside traditional institutions. QUEERNESS, IDENTITY & VISIBILITY The guests discuss how queer perspectives shape artistic practice and reflect on the social pressures, stereotypes, and public perceptions surrounding queer bodies and non-conforming identities within their communities. TRADITION, RITUAL & CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE Femi shares research from his performance work exploring gender expression and masquerade traditions in Nigeria, revealing how historical and cultural practices complicate modern assumptions about identity and queerness. ART AS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The episode closes with a powerful reflection on the responsibility artists carry to challenge oppression, respond to social and political realities, and create spaces for empathy, visibility, and change. MEMORABLE QUOTES “You teach me what you know, I teach you what I know.” — Silvia Ribero “I needed to go to a place that my dance language would be appreciated.” — Femi Adebajo “The surroundings are somehow also queer because of this fluidity of identity.” — Miloš Janjić “Once someone shifts their point of view, this is a change that is going to provoke actions.” — Silvia Ribero ABOUT IETM GLOBAL CONNECT The IETM Global Pod is part of the IETM Global Connect programme, bringing together performing arts professionals from across continents to exchange perspectives on urgent global issues shaping artistic practice today. More information: IETM Global Connect — IETM [https://www.ietm.org/en] CREDITS Produced by: Margherita Petti, Lottie Atkin, Giselle Musabimana & Ilaria De March Recorded, edited & produced by: Ben Phoenix /  NEXI Media [https://www.nexi.tv] Co-funded by: IETM Associate Members & the European Union

Creating platforms for artists, responding to crisis and displacement and how to advocate for your community.

In this episode of IETM Global Pod, moderator Julia Reist is joined by Global Connectors William Ruiz Morales (USA/Cuba) and Viktor Ruban (Ukraine) for a powerful conversation about artistic advocacy, cultural survival, diaspora, and building platforms for artists working under political pressure, war, migration, and displacement. Together, they explore how artists create networks of solidarity, sustain cultural identities across borders, and imagine alternative futures through the performing arts. GUESTS JULIA REIST (BELGIUM) Moderator and international arts professional working with the Flanders Arts Institute in Brussels, supporting sustainable international artistic collaboration across borders. WILLIAM RUIZ MORALES (USA/CUBA) Cuban dramaturg, artist, and program architect based in Los Angeles. William’s work focuses on networks, alternative governance models, diaspora communities, and creating independent artistic spaces beyond institutional control. VIKTOR RUBAN (UKRAINE) Ukrainian choreographer, performer, curator, and activist based in Kyiv. Viktor works at the intersection of artistic practice, institution building, cultural advocacy, and contemporary dance development in Ukraine. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * The role of artists in responding to war, migration, and authoritarian systems * Building independent artistic platforms outside state-controlled structures * Diaspora as both displacement and cultural continuity * How political polarization shapes artistic freedom * Contemporary Ukrainian cultural resistance and decolonization * Rebuilding artistic infrastructure during conflict * The importance of networks, solidarity, and collective governance * Why artists are “experts in imagination” KEY DISCUSSION POINTS CREATING SPACE BEYOND POLARIZATION William reflects on growing up and working within Cuba’s highly polarized political landscape, where artistic voices are often forced into ideological extremes. He discusses the challenge of building independent artistic spaces that resist both state control and political co-option. ART AS CULTURAL RESISTANCE Viktor speaks about Ukraine’s ongoing struggle against cultural erasure and Russian colonial narratives, highlighting how contemporary artistic practice has become deeply connected to questions of identity, heritage, and resistance. PLATFORMS AS COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE Both guests explore the importance of platforms—not simply as venues or organisations, but as living ecosystems where artists can exchange knowledge, support one another, and collectively imagine new futures. DIASPORA & BELONGING The conversation examines what it means to continue creating from exile or displacement, and how artists maintain connections to their communities while rebuilding lives abroad. SUPPORTING ARTISTS BEYOND MOBILITY The guests question dominant international cultural models focused solely on mobility and relocation, advocating instead for long-term support structures that strengthen artistic ecosystems within regions experiencing crisis. MEMORABLE QUOTES > “Art is about creating possibilities and saying things differently.” — William Ruiz Morales > “A platform is a space where different realities can meet.” — Viktor Ruban > “You are an expert in imagination.” — quoted by Viktor Ruban ABOUT IETM GLOBAL CONNECT The IETM Global Pod is part of the IETM Global Connect programme, bringing together performing arts professionals from across continents to exchange perspectives on urgent global issues shaping artistic practice today. More information: IETM Global Connect — item.org CREDITS Produced by: Margherita Petti, Lottie Atkin, Giselle Musabimana & Ilaria De March Recorded, edited & produced by: Ben Phoenix / NEXI Media Co-funded by: IETM Associate Members & the European Union

How to amplify the voice of emerging makers and create opportunities for them.

In this episode, Global Connectors Solanyi Robayo Solarte (Chile) and Mia Shen (China) discuss the critical need to build supportive ecosystems that provide emerging makers with sustainable opportunities, creative safety, and the "second and third chances" necessary to develop their craft. The conversation is hosted by Magnus Nordberg (Sweden). New episodes of the IETM Global Pod are released every other Thursday at 14:00 CEST/Brussels time.

Developing artistic works reflecting on collective traumas: why and how to keep creating art and theatre today?

In this first episode, Global Connectors Brahim Jumaa (Syria) and Silvia Tomotaki (Peru) delve into the political dimensions of theatre-making. The conversation is hosted by Michael De Cock, Artistic Director of KVS in Brussels. New episodes of the IETM Global Pod are released every other Thursday at 14:00 CEST/Brussels time.

IETM Global Pod Trailer

After welcoming 10 new Global Connectors [https://www.ietm.org/en/projects/ietm-global-connect] into IETM at the beginning of 2026, five IETM members hosted a series of conversations with them to get to know more about them and their values, as well as the ways their work shapes both their local communities and international collaborations. The result? A brand-new podcast series! Introducing IETM Global Pod, where across five episodes we bring together two Global Connectors in dialogue. For professionals from across the globe, this is your opportunity to discover new perspectives, new ideas and potential new collaborators!