Asylum seekers detained in Melbourne given a voice through art

Asylum seekers at a detention centre in Melbourne's north have been given a public voice through art.

An exhibition at Richmond's Gallery 314 on the weekend showcased the works of four asylum seekers currently detained at the Broadmeadows detention centre.

Two asylum seekers now living in the community, and one currently in hospital, also contributed to the show.

Organiser Lisa Stewart said the four asylum seekers still detained had been transferred to Melbourne from Manus Island and Nauru and faced a bleak future in indefinite detention.

While the operators of the Broadmeadows centre rejected a request to allow the asylum seekers to attend the exhibition, they were still able to speak through their artworks, she added.

"They are unseen, they are literally behind a very tall intimidating steel fence," she said.

Ms Stewart said she had been visiting the Broadmeadows detention centre once a week for a year.

"I just began as a visitor and that came out of a sense of despair at our current policies and the way that we speak about asylum seekers in the public sphere," she said.

"I just felt that I needed to do something that expressed my solidarity with them."

A former detainee, who is now living in the community on a bridging visa, also took part in the exhibition.

The mother of two from Iran said she had always loved painting, adding that she found it particularly helpful in dealing with the trauma of detention.

Author: 
ABC