REESHA
Elyas Alavi, Razia Ghazal, Tamana Alizada, Sha Sarwari, Sher Ali, Reza Foladi
23 Oct–16 Nov 2024
Reesha (meaning “roots” in Farsi), is a group exhibition featuring the works of five Australian-Hazara artists, exploring themes of memory, migration, identity, and gender issues. Through a diverse range of media, including painting, installation, and textile, the artists engage with personal and cultural narratives, shaped by displacement and migration. Each work reflects the artist’s lived experience, whether through documenting everyday life, utilising traditional art forms or expressing their pride in their cultural heritage as they explore their art practice. Reesha offers a deep reflection on how identity is formed and transformed through history, movement, and migration.
This program takes place on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded - this land is stolen land. We pay respects to Wurundjeri Elders, past, present and emerging, to the Elders from other communities and to any other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders who might encounter or participate in the program.
Elyas Alavi is a poet, curator and visual artist with a multidisciplinary practice that spans
painting, sculpture, installation, moving image, poetry and performance. His practice often
examines the complex intersections of race, displacement, gender, religion, and sexuality.
Razia Ghazal is a multidisciplinary artist who currently lives and practices art on the lands
of Turrbal and Jagera people, South West Brisbane. Razia works with paint, embroidery and
textiles. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Visual Arts and Research at the
Queensland College of Art.
Tamana Alizada works in form of textiles, beadwork and drawing to explore themes of
resilience and identity. Awarded a BFA scholarship from Beaconhouse National University,
Pakistan, her art reflects traditional crafts significant for Afghan women. Her work
transforms personal and cultural narratives into powerful visual expressions, harnessing these
mediums to convey her unique perspective.
Sha Sarwari is a Hazara born in Afghanistan is multidisciplinary visual artist. His artistic
practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums, through his work, Sarwari intricately
weaves together allegorical layers, resulting in a visual experience that evokes poetic sense.
Sher Ali, has graduated from a BFA from Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan
supported by a South Asia Foundation scholarship. His work has been exhibited
internationally and recently moved to Melbourne. His art merges tradition with contemporary
issues, reflecting his homeland’s rich history through various media.
Reza Foladi is an emerging artist based in South Australia works in form of painting,
drawing and installation. His work reflects time, nature, and human bonding
spirituality and mythology, which depicts written text, imaginative figures, and irregular
forms and shapes in multilayers as a collage and gouache inspired by nature.