The annual arts party at The Lock Up is always a memorable occasion, and this year will be no exception. Topping the line-up is performance artist Radha (Shahmen Suku) as the headline act.

Known for his work on ABC's live music TV show The Set, he was also the curator of 2019 Vivid Sydney's edition of ARTBAR at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Radha (Shahmen Suku) will bring a unique cooking show experience that examines racial and cultural identity, gender roles, the home and the kitchen, food and storytelling.

Shahmen Suku was born in 1987 in Singapore and arrived in Australia in 2009. He is a performance artist based in Sydney who explores ideas of racial and cultural identity, gender roles, the home and the kitchen, food and storytelling.

Growing up in a modern matriarchal Indian family in Singapore, Shahmen processes his sense of displacement from home as RadhaLa Bia, the Diva from India, who entered the country by dubious means.

Moving to Australia has given Shahmen multiple perspectives on migration, culture, race, colonisation and gender identity. Some of these issues cannot be discussed openly in Singapore or as himself, and finds expression in his alter ego.

Drawing on a background in biomedical science, cooking and interior design, Radha's performances create holistic experiences that encompass culinary science and spatial dynamics,

Spiced with family stories, Radha's shows range across pop culture, social media and an understanding of Australia as a foreign body.

The artist line-up for The Bender: Baroque-a-coco Karaoke Spectacular (Jen Denzin, Lyndal Campbell, Bridie Watt, Joanne Back); Caelli Jo Brooker, Ahn Wells & Alison Smith; Mel O'Dell; Jacinta Rose Durney; Alysha Fewster & Paddy Freeman; Genevieve Graham; Oliver Harlan; Jerry Ray; Axl Rod (Alli Sebastian Wolf ); Jessica Thallmaier; The Palace (Wanjun Carpenter); Troth (Amelia Besseny & Cooper Bowman); Grace Turner; Genevieve Lore Finn Unicorn.

Tickets to the event are $15.

The Lock Up follows The Bender with a show entitled Open House, that focuses on homelessness. That show opens on October 19 and features work by Tim Buchanan, Keg De Souza, Hannah Furmage and #WeLiveHere2017.