The prolonged terror inflicted on Gaza has exposed the deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians and especially children by Israeli forces. Thousands of children have been killed alongside many more of Palestinians killed, tens of thousands injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. They bear the brunt of lost loved ones, many still under the rubble of the relentless bombardments, revealing the desolation, loss of life and an uncertain future for Palestinian children…..Read more
Gaza as the world stood there to watch 2, 2015 – Collograph print – Fatima Killeen Arabic text: “No to war”.
This month I had the honour of judging the monthly art competitions at the Queanbeyan Art Society. Their gallery is located in a picturesque park setting on the riverbank near the bridge.
You can visit their society website at Queanbeyan Art Society – The gallery on the banks of the Queanbeyan River. or view their newsletter showing the winning artworks by clicking on the image below. The society hosts monthly art competitions and exhibitions for members, with the subject often related to topical themes & events taking place in the Queanbeyan area.
“Belco Arts put a call out to printmakers throughout Australia to participate in an exhibition with the theme of Habitat – “being the place or environment where we as humans, plants, or animals naturally are located or have found ourselves residing in”. The response has been overwhelming, with approximately 200 prints displayed on the walls in what is a very crowded exhibition.” Sasha Grishin – read the review CLICK HERE and see my work below.
We are what we grow – Fatima Killeen
“Fatima Killeen’s highly accomplished collagraph, We are what we grow, is a mesmerising study in harmony and restrained beauty” – Sasha Grishin
Artist’s statement: The pomegranate is a symbol of life and fertility, a sacred fruit stated in the Bible and the Koran. However, from within its core a grenade is emerging as the looming danger we will face since the privation of our duties to care for the environment. The universal Damask pattern originated in Damascus is a tribute to Syria that has sadly become the testing ground for the paraphernalia of modern warfare and contaminated military landfill. The pattern forms a common narrative with the need to work collectively and unanimously in facing up to the imminent crisis, as nature remembers.
It was ambiguous at first, whether she was praying or washing clothes.
This anticipated ritual became a reassuring sight, as it gave me a sense of peace and a resolve between exiting a dream and the start of a new morning. My mother used a wooden scrubbing board to wash clothes, it was a daily chore in a house full of kids.
I remember my mother’s shiny hands from the repeated movements of washing the clothes, which seemed to polish the surface of the wooden board, thus creating niches for the memories that I still revere about my mother’s dedication to her family.
Faith is intrinsic to life, an oath to care and honour. It is a duty that upholds and fulfils responsibilities by manifesting as a strength, which reveals itself in all aspects of society. Both my mother’s religious devotion and family duties were interwoven to become a personal promise. The commitment of washing the clothes converted to a prayer, before the daily prayer.
The installation box (featured) houses a journey of life’s devotion. My artwork is a tribute to my mother who passed away years ago in Morocco – may she rest in eternal peace.
Devotion 2020 – Fatima Killeen Washing boards, collograph prints, soap bars 98 x 68 (L) x 16 (D) cm Photographs by Yasmine Killeen Arabic: “And the only defeater is God”
In 2022, Galleries Museum + Heritage launched a biennial art prize to support ACT and regional artists to exhibit their works and encourage a deeper and contemporary appreciation of Canberra’s cultural and natural heritage through artistic engagements with our historic places.
The purpose of the selected works is to inspire contemporary views and storytelling about Lanyon and its surrounds – its landscape, local and regional context, the First Nations and non-First Nations people who have lived and worked here, tangible and intangible heritage, the collection of objects, and the living heritage of the gardens and its pastoral setting which is still a working farm. Finalist’s works were exhibited in select locations on the property to create an immersive experience.
The Canberra Islamic Centre (CIC) provides a podium for the artists’ community in Canberra.
This year’s exhibition leading up to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the National Multicultural Festival in February 2023 was titled Encompass, a theme that echoed the coming together of artistic diversity with local artists jointly exhibiting their artworks to celebrate and embrace their artistic talent and life experience.
An artwork by Fatima Killeen in the Australian Women’s Art Prize 2022 on display at the Islamic Museum of Australia is an homage to the life and journalistic work of Shireen Abu Akleh who was murdered by Israeli troops in May 2022.
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.
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.
See the SBS Gallery and story – CLICK on the image
x 68 (L) x 16 (D) cm
A Moroccan artist living in Australia 