Art from the desert, stories from ancient lands
Friday, July 11, 2008
Arabic Australian Artists reflect on their lives and the state of their homelands in Tales of Colour exhibition
Six Arabic Australian artists from war torn Iraq, the Levant and North Africa explore the connections between ancient and contemporary traditions and arts practices, consider the space between the individual and conflict, probe the distance between people and difference and dip into the emotive personal response of the imagination.
These six artists feature in a new exhibition entitled Tales of Colour at Blacktown Arts Centre. The exhibition is now open and runs until Saturday, August 30. A public program featuring artist talks, workshops and a seminar will accompany the exhibition with details available at a later date.
Developed in a partnership between Blacktown Arts Centre and the University of Western Sydney (UWS), the exhibition showcases the work of professional Arabic Australian artists. The exhibition is curated by Jamal Joumaa as part of his doctorate studies at UWS.
UWS Lecturer, Dr Ronaldo Morelos says, "Tales of Colour offers a refreshing alternative to the current political and cultural dialogue on conflict and difference in our contemporary global environment. The exhibition and public programs are an intervention in the way Arabs are understood and 'othered' via the media".
Moroccan born artist, Fatima Killeen's work embodies her search for peace among cultural identities, difference and lived experience. Her work, 'legal illegal, finding peace' ponders the political story of finding refuge and fleeing to Australia; and offers a different possibility
Lebanese born Khaled Sabsabi's multimedia installation interrogates the impact of the media spectacle on conflict. He explores the relationship of the individual to that spectacle via an installation on Israel's bombing of Lebanon in 2006.
Abstract painter Mazin Ahmad explores the intricacies of human existence and its anchoring in history and land. While Mazin uses the symbology of Iraqi artistic traditions to convey meaning, he also draws upon Australian colours to imbue his work with the contemporary experience of cultural diversity.
Other artists featured in the exhibition include Ali Abbas and Faisel Al Saadi, both from Iraq, Jamal Joumaa from Lebanon, who is also the curator.
Blacktown City is the largest Local Government Area in Australia and is home to over 160 cultures. It is an area where ground-breaking collaborations between the arts and community have engaged in distinctive ways with the concept of 'art.'