Elena Dias-Jayasinha (2016)
Embracing stories at the heart of art
From healing flowers to ethical fashion, and emerging artists to long-forgotten works, Elena Dias-Jayasinha is dedicated to sharing the stories of Brisbane and creating new ones along the way.
As curator at Museum of Brisbane (MoB) she is constantly learning about the city where she grew up, through exhibitions of objects and artworks that shed light on the social and physical history of the Queensland capital.
As a young girl she dreamed of becoming a film director and says, in many ways, her role as curator is a close fit—allowing her to envision a story, then work with gallery staff and artists to bring that vision to the public. Exhibitions often blend the past with the present, learning to see the city through different eyes.
One of Elena’s recent MoB projects, New Light: Photography Now + Then showcased the work of turn-of-the-century amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott—whose images from the late 1800s and early 1900s lay forgotten under a house in Red Hill until the 1980s—alongside current photographic artists.
But Elena’s greatest joy is working directly with creatives to bring their work to the public, saying: `It’s very special when you get to make that connection with an artist and help them share their story.’
She holds a passionate belief in the power of art to foster empathy, strengthen community and create positive change. Among the many highlights of her time at MoB have been working alongside artists in residence to deepen community connection. They include Hiromi Tango, whose Hanabira (Gentle Petal) project invited the public to craft flowers inspired by those that flourish in Brisbane (Meanjin), then add them to a `healing garden’ installation wall. During another residency, artists Christine Ko and Louis Lim’s continued their project Departure, using kites to share the written and photographic histories of Brisbane’s migrant community.
Elena shares an insight into life as a curator during a Careers Day for BGGS Year 6 students in May, 2026
Clearly, stories that sit at the heart of art are what capture Elena. At Girls Grammar, she fell in love with English literature and considered a career in writing until she realised that what she truly adored was writing about art. After graduation she studied Art History and Japanese at the University of Queensland, where she was the 2020 recipient of the Paula and Tony Kinnane Art History Scholarship.
'The academic rigour of BGGS set me up for my future studies and I constantly reflect on what a privilege it was to have attended the School,' she said.
An outstanding student, in 2021 an exhibition proposal submitted as part of her university coursework was selected for real-world staging at the UQ Art Museum.
‘I completed the course Visual Arts Writing and Curating. Our final piece of assessment involved creating a proposal for a UQ Art Collection-based exhibition in one of the three gallery spaces on the third level of the Museum. We were told that some exhibition concepts may be selected by the Art Museum to be mounted, and I was thrilled to find out mine was chosen.
Her exhibition, Music of Spheres, drew together works from disparate cultures united by themes of cosmic alignment. It played off ancient philosophy comparing the elegance of planetary movements to a form of music heard by the soul, rather than the ears.
`The initial idea was significantly expanded beyond its original scope of a one-gallery collection show to span three galleries and include selected external loans and a new commission.’
In 2022, she was invited to curate the churchie emerging art prize at the Institute of Modern Art. And in 2022, Elena joined Museum of Brisbane (MoB).
For Elena, coming up ideas for exhibitions such Music of Spheres, that use art to tell stories, remains one of the most magical parts of her job as curator. She often spends days poring over the MoB Collections of thousands of pieces searching for inspiration. Equally, she is invested in acquiring new artworks to expand the Museum’s ability to tell Brisbane stories.
Currently MoB is hosting one of her favourite projects thus far, Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose, a collaboration with Brisbane-based First Nations ethical clothing company Magpie Goose.
The social enterprise label has released a new clothing range using designs by Quandamooka artists, with the MoB exhibition taking a deep dive into the local artists and stories behind each piece. The exhibition, which encompasses over 70 artists, includes materials from Country that inspired some designs, with Elena saying these can occasionally add extra layers of complexity to exhibitions.
`The thing we have to think about in an exhibition is that the artworks and objects all stay safe when we’re bringing things in from the natural world,’ she said, explaining rogue insects could wreak havoc in a gallery. In a glimpse behind the creative curtain, Elena said objects such as shells and huge driftwood stumps and branches had to be placed in large freezers to ensure they were `debugged’ before they could be brought safely into the space.
Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose is currently on at Museum of Brisbane, in City Hall. MoB is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
Elena at MoB's current Stories You Wear: Magpie Goose exhibition. Image: Red Handed Productions