Speakers
Proud, bold and unapologetic.
Jamaica Moana, cultural powerhouse, ballroom icon and multidisciplinary artist, will be in conversation with Mira Brunner, an artist, archivist and writer who works with the National Law School of India’s Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection and Activism Archival Project. Together, they will explore the role of music and art in challenging dominant narratives, and discuss the importance of building queer creative communities.
As co-founder of The West Ball, a platform that leads and uplifts queer, trans, and BIPOC communities through ballroom culture, Jamaica works at the intersection of so many different worlds. Her Māori (Ngāpuhi/Tainui) and Samoan heritage, queer community leadership, and a home in Western Sydney, shape a practice spanning rap, songwriting and creative direction.
This session promises an intimate and honest conversation on art, identity and pride.
In collaboration with:
Speakers
Jamaica Moana
Jamaica Moana is a rapper, songwriter, creative director and ballroom leader from Western Sydney, whose practice sits at the intersection of music, fashion, performance and community. Proudly Māori (Ngāpuhi/Tainui) and Samoan, she draws on ancestral strength, queer identity and contemporary club culture to forge a sound that fuses rap, R&B, soul and punk-edged alt-pop. A commanding live performer with razor-sharp lyricism, she has appeared at Sydney Opera House, Dark Mofo, SXSW Austin, Bangkok Music City and The Great Escape, and in 2025 won FBi Radio’s SMAC Award for Best Live Act and SXSW Sydney’s inaugural Walk to Austin Award.
Her influence extends into fashion and visual culture, having walked for acclaimed Australian designers Nicol & Ford and Jordan Gogos with a bold, gender-fluid and deeply spiritual presence. Whether on stage, on the mic, in the club or in couture, Jamaica Moana is building worlds where community, resistance and glamour collide.
Mira Brunner
Mira Brunner is an artist living in Bengaluru, India. She works across media and her practice functions as collage across dimensions. She’s interested in themes along the lines of time, money, death, and the long arm of the law, but she tries to keep it light. She’s also an archivist, and currently works at QAMRA – the Queer Archive for Memory, Reflection, and Activism.
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