Creativity in displacement

This panel discussion explores the transformative role of art and creativity in displaced communities. It brings together a panel of speakers whose work intersects with themes of displacement, internment, and healing through artistic expression, reflected in three different exhibitions currently on show at the Library.

Multi-award-winning artist Safdar Ahmed will share insights from his work as a founding member of the Refugee Art Project, which facilitates art workshops for people in detention. Safdar’s sketchbooks and drawings from his graphic novel Still Alive are currently on display in the Amaze Gallery. Art historian Professor Andrew McNamara discusses the artistic legacy of the Dunera internees, whose works are showcased in the exhibition Dunera: Stories of internment. Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Fay Moseley speaks about her personal journey of healing through painting as a survivor of the Stolen Generations. She was taken to the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, while her brothers were sent to Kinchela Boys Home. Portraits featuring men who were taken as children to the Home are currently on display in the Amaze Gallery.

This discussion, presented in connection with current State Library exhibitions, weaves together diverse stories of displacement while highlighting art’s unique power to preserve stories and allow artists to process trauma. Hosted by Walkley-award-winning Australian investigative journalist, author and television presenter Sarah Malik, the panel will explore how creative expression can be a vital tool for sustaining identity, dignity and hope in communities experiencing displacement.

Host or Publisher State Library of New South Wales