Featured artist statement on 'Migrating: oil on canvas'
Hedar Abadi
I exhibit here 'Migrating: oil on canvas' that tackles alienation and displacement, and I shed light on the issues of our current world… and responding to audience and media queries regarding why I use fish in my recent exhibitions, I am saying that fish is not only an element of decoration, but also carries a high expression energy… And we live in a world where big fish eat small fish. I am an immigrant painter due to wars. I come from Mesopotamia where I spent my childhood and youth . My home was only 100 meters from the river. Even with finding refuge in Australia and success as an artist, I still feel a connection to the waters of my homeland. ‘Because I’m a refugee in Australia, I feel the same as fish in an aquarium. Australia is a very beautiful country, with beautiful water… but I would like to swim in my water.’