Born in Tripoli, Lebanon I migrated to Australia with my family as a child in 1977. We settled in Western Sydney where I continue to live and work. In 2002, since migrating to Australia, I travelled back to Lebanon and the surrounding region. This extended travel period became a significant moment in my creative career, forcing me to question, reflect and redefine my philosophical perspective and contemporary visual arts practice. In 2005 I received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of New South Wales. I continue to expand my practice, producing over 63 major mixed media and installation based works to date and exhibiting in over 89 solo and group art exhibitions in Australia and abroad.
I genuinely believe in the power of art as an effective and influential tool to communicate with people. As a full-time professional contemporary visual artist who specialises in video, mixed media and site-specific installation work, my artistic process involves working across art mediums, geographical borders and with communities to create immersive and engaging art experiences. For over 30 years I have worked in detention centres, schools, prisons, refugee camps, settlements, hospitals, youth centres, public and private galleries in the Australian and international context.
I am inspired by what may define us as a society and I strive to make artwork that reflects human collectiveness, while questioning ideological principles and complexities of identity politics. I make artwork that is in constant flux between the everyday and the metaphysical, in hope to find ways to enlighten our understanding of universal dynamics, which is far more complex and ultimately, more inconceivable than our physical selves.
I was awarded an Australia Council for the Arts CCD fellowship in 2001, Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship 2010, 60th Blake Prize 2011, MCG Basil Sellers fellowship 2014, Fishers Ghost Prize 2014, Western Sydney ARTS NSW Fellowship 2015 and Sharjah Art Programme Prize 2016. I'm represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane and have 12 works in private, national and international collections. I've participated and presented in over 80 solo and group exhibitions in Australia and abroad. I also participated in the 5th Marrakech Biennale, 18th Biennale of Sydney, 9th Shanghai Biennale, Sharjah Biennial 11, 1st Yinchuan Biennale, 3rd Kochi Muziris Biennale, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art 2018 and the 21st Biennale of Sydney.
