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The Walker Street Gallery, an initiative of the City of Greater Dandenong in Victoria, has announced the winners of a new national art prize celebrating the work of refuges and asylum seekers.
Launched by the City of Greater Dandenong in Victoria, the ‘Home and Art’ is a new national art prize for artists with an asylum seeker or refugee background, providing an opportunity to celebrate their important contribution to Australia’s cultural and social fabric.
The $3000 first prize has been awarded to Queensland multidisciplinary visual artist Sha Sarawari, who came to Australia as an Afghani refugee in 2000. His winning entry, Silent Conversation, is a floor-based installation, made of postcards he put into letterboxes with a request for them to be sent back to him explaining people’s feelings about refugees in Australia.
“In my work, I aim to explore the contemporary discourse of refugees world-wide. My work is influenced by my personal experience of seeking asylum in Australia and the journey that I went through to becoming a refugee and ultimately an Australian citizen,” Sarawari said.
Second prize of $500 for a local artist was awarded to Hussein Ali Zobea of Dandenong South for a painting depicting his former home city in Iraq.
Hussein draws on personal memories of his home city and cultural background to inform his large scale paintings. War and the situation in Iraq have changed his view and feelings about the beautiful city which was his former home, to the present, where he tries to remember the city in its beauty through his painting. Hussein draws inspiration from his love of Australian indigenous art and experiments with a combination of styles to create unique artworks that represent his life both in Iraq and Australia.
Melbourne artist Mahla Karimian’s entry of a Persian miniature etching on scratchboard was Highly Commended and she will receive an artist in residency opportunity to further develop her art.
Greater Dandenong Mayor Heang Tak said Greater Dandenong was the most culturally diverse community in Victoria with more than half of its population born overseas. He said many of those who settled in the city came from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
“The ‘Home and Art Prize’, which incorporates an exhibition exemplifies some of the many ways Council actively promotes opportunities for asylum seeker and refugee residents. The City of Greater Dandenong has been a refugee welcome Zone since 2002.
“We recognise that these residents come to our community seeking safety, protection and importantly the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Art plays a key role in helping to rebuild a life. It is a way to process experiences and envisage a new future.
“We are proud to announce our Ambassador for 2017, comedian Judith Lucy, who as a representative of the arts community will lend her voice to create even greater awareness of the Prize in the coming year,“ Cr Tak said.
An exhibition of winning works and those of the 14 finalists from around Australia including paintings, sculptures and video, are on show at Walker Street Gallery in Dandenong.
Walker Street Gallery
Until 30 July, 2016
Victoria
Sha Sarawari, Silent Conversation
