Sachém Parkin-Owens is a proud Noonuccal and African American artist whose practice spans visual art, poetry, music and public installation. His residency at Museum of Brisbane has been designed to augment and activate major exhibition Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose. Sachém’s residency began with a performance at the exhibition’s opening celebration, drawing on an existing setlist while responding to the garments on display and the themes woven throughout the exhibition. The performance reflected the distinctive artistic voice he has cultivated throughout his career.
From there, the residency became a period of deep reflection. Looking to his practice as a mirror to the Motherland, Sachém considered how his work is evolving and where it might lead next. This process prompted an exploration of the relationship between audience and performer, alongside the development of new music, sound works and poetry.
The residency will culminate in a live presentation of melodies under construction, offering audiences an intimate glimpse into a creative process in motion and the questions that continue to shape it.
Be the first to find out more about Sachém Parkin-Owens’s upcoming live presentation by becoming a MoB Member.
MoB’s Artist in Residence program is supported by Tim Fairfax AC.
Strolling into the Australian arts scene in 2018, Sachém emerged with a voice that felt both grounded and unmistakably his own. Working across lyricism, spoken word, and hip-hop, he crafts narratives that weave together personal memory, cultural inheritance, and lived experience.
His work has since found a natural home within major cultural institutions. In 2026, Sachém was named Artist in Residence for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, alongside residencies with the Museum of Brisbane and the State Library of Queensland—recognition of a practice devoted to carrying story forward through music.
