BY
VANESSA COUZENS
BRISBANE — Permanency isn't a condition usually attributed to the situation of refugees residing in Australia on temporary protection visas.
However, Permanent Links — an exhibition at the Black Peppers Gallery in Brisbane city from April 9 to 13 — aims to create a lasting connection between refugees and the wider Australian community through a diverse range of art forms.
With assistance from Brisbane Ethnic Music and Arts Council, Arts Queensland and the efforts of volunteers, the exhibition will display everything from paintings, cartoons, sculpture and more traditional art forms like embroidery. Not only does the art span a broad spectrum of mediums, so too do the artists. They range from young children to adults and come from countries such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
One featured artist is Ghulam Sakhi Hazara, a 26-year-old who fled Afghanistan and spent 15 months in Port Hedland detention centre in Western Australia. "Because of race, religious persecution and fear I ran away", Hazara explained. His paintings demonstrate great skill despite limited formal art training and have been exhibited in Brisbane City Town Hall, the Education Centre in Adelaide and Adelaide University.
Another featured artist is Mounir Kirmani from Iraq. His small black and white cartoon (pictured) depicts a figure crouched in the corner of a cell with marks on the wall counting off the days. It powerfully conveys the sense of hopelessness and isolation that detainees feel waiting for determination of their refugee status.
Permanent Links counteracts the negative stereotypes of refugees by demonstrating the great cultural contribution asylum seekers can make to the community. The aim is not only to create lasting links but a permanent visual record of the experiences asylum seekers have endured in their flight to Australia and time in detention.
Black Peppers Gallery has shown a strong commitment to social justice through the donation of the gallery space to these talented artists. For a visual experience that is both aesthetically pleasing and deeply moving, go see the exhibition. Show your support for creating a state of permanency for refugees in Australian society.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, April 2, 2003.
Visit the