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The City of Greater Dandenong has launched a national art prize, ‘Home and Art’ for artists with an asylum seeker or refugee background. ‘Home and Art’ aims to celebrate their contribution to Australian culture and society. Artists eligible to enter should have arrived in Australia after 1 January, 2000. Artworks can be produced in any media including, but not limited to, painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, video, photography, or drawing and applications close on 14 March 2016.
‘Home and Art’ will include an exhibition at Walker Street Gallery, Dandenong in July 2016 and a first Prize of $3000 and a second cash prize of $500 to be awarded to an artist living in the City of Greater Dandenong.
The City of Greater Dandenong is home to Victoria’s largest and Australia’s second largest multicultural community including a high percentage of refugees and asylum seekers. Mayor of the City of Greater Dandenong, Cr Heang Tak, migrated to Australia from Cambodia as part of a humanitarian program as a teenager. “Our City is a Welcome Zone for refugees and asylum seekers and we are committed to initiating programs and projects to support their communities and inspire other cities around the nation to follow our lead, he said.
The Home and Art Prize and exhibition provide a fantastic opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers from all parts of the world to express themselves at the same time it creates an opportunity for the community to understand more about the lives of these people prior to and following their arrival in Australia.
As a migrant myself I remember at the age of 15 entering this new world. I will never forget the first words said to me at the airport, Hello, how are you?¹, they welcomed a migrant like myself to Australia. It is very important for us to welcome new people to our country, Home and Art is another way of doing just that.”
Artist: Kosar Majani
