Canberra City News – Helen Musa
CLICK HERE to read the article

The collograph print titled ‘The Crooked Narrative’ fuses images of a pomegranate and a hand grenade.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO, said the University is committed to supporting initiatives such as the Australian Muslim Artists Art Prize which build strong connections with Australia’s diverse communities.
“…….The seventeen shortlisted works represent the depth of talent among Muslim artists and highlight the cultural diversity of Muslims in Australia. In 2021, artists included those who migrated from countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, India and Malaysia.
Further, this year, a record number of female artists submitted work, and were included in the shortlist.
“La Trobe congratulates Fatima Killeen on her work, The Crooked Narrative. It is a piece of great depth and complexity and is a worthy winner,” Professor Dewar said.
“La Trobe University is honoured to sponsor the Prize and delighted to welcome the first female recipient with such a powerful work.”
Shortlisting for Australian Muslim Artists was conducted by a panel of judges including Dr Stefano Carboni, currently CEO of the Museums Commission for the Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Bala Starr, Director of La Trobe Art Institute; community representative Dr Anisa Buckley and IMA curator, Dr Mahmoud Mohammed.
The Australian Muslim Artists exhibition is on [virtual] display from 20 August – 20 November 2021 at the Islamic Museum and guests can see the physical exhibition when the IMA re-opens.
Read the full La Trobe announcement
From the SBS article – “The Crooked Narrative, a collagraph print showing a fused pomegranate and hand grenade, is part of Fatima Killeen’s ongoing work on human rights, conflict, and migration.”
The use of the pomegranate – considered to have sacred life-giving qualities – and the hand grenade against a traditional Islamic geometric tile pattern is, she says, important in understanding the lives of Muslims.
“There is beauty and a message in Islamic art. [We want] to make people aware of what is going on,” says Killeen.
Read the review HERE or CLICK on the image below.
Fatima working in her printing studio at home.
The Friday night opening of Collision: conflict of sacred realities was a great success with a many invited guests filling the Belconnen Arts Centre alongside guests from the Foyer exhibition by artist Christine Scott. The opening speech at Collision by Dr Sam Bowker from Charles Sturt University was applauded by the large crowd as he declared the exhibition open for the next two months.
The City News social photographer Kate Matthews covered the event and you can see more photos of guests HERE
Amira and Yasmine Killeen at the opening of Collision: conflict of sacred realities
Fatima Killeen’s new solo exhibition is only a few days away and SBS Radio has aired an interview to discuss Collision – Conflict of Sacred Realities, opening at the Belconnen Arts Centre next week.
CLICK HERE or on the SBS image below – then click on the words DOWNLOAD 12.5Mb to listen to the broadcast.
The Collision exhibition opening is at 6pm on Friday 6 September at the Belconnen Arts Centre gallery and runs for 2 months until late October.
The French community magazine, Canberra en Français, highlighted my work in their latest issue. The article in French and English outlines my art practice, the techniques behind my work and also includes photographs taken in my home studio.
CLICK on the image below to read the article.
In January 2018, Fatima was recorded in an interview in Arabic discussing her work, art awards and the acquisition of her artworks by a number of Australian institutions.
Click on the image below to listen to the SBS Radio Arabic interview.