Midweek Minds: Legally Bonded

About the event

How do artists own their own work and voice, under the forces of algorithmic recommendations, AI-generated content and the shifting terms of fair use? Or are we overlooking the liberation of an all-in creative commons? With rapid-fire keynotes, acclaimed artists question the best way forward for artists, including those who co-opt and subvert existing icons and IP, as part of Midweek Minds, Vivid Sydney’s Wednesday night gatherings for the creative and curious at the State Library of NSW. At Legally Bonded, hear from US artist, technologist and academic Mindy Seu, whose work focuses on online culture and internet history, as well as Shaun Daniel Allen (Shal), a Bundjalung painter whose works bridge cultural worlds, and Jason Phu, whose mixed media practice contains images from comics, comics and pop-culture. Afterward, head to the Library Bar for a chance to chat with the speakers, meet other creatives and establish community in the spirit of informal networking. Find further inspiration each Wednesday during Vivid Sydney with Midweek Minds. On 27 May, A New Cultural Paradigm lays out paths towards a more ethical, equitable creative landscape, featuring New York architect Dong-Ping Wong, Walkley Award-winning photojournalist Mridula Amin and Lesbian Space Princess filmmakers Leela Verghese and Emma Hough Hobbs. On June 3, catch The Engagement Generation, where The New Yorker creative director Nicholas Blechman and Australian artists Elliot Ulm and Steffie Yee dissect how to find and maintain audiences in 2026. This event is presented in partnership with State Library of New South Wales.