15/01/2026
Dear friends,
In a few months Refugee Art Project will be leaving our art studio in Ashfield’s Thirning Villa, where we’ve held weekly gatherings and workshops over many years. It’s going to be a sad goodbye!
The community has had an amazing time in the space, using the workshop rooms to create all kinds of art, comics, zines and music. The gallery has hosted numerous exhibitions, talks, concerts and collaborations. Access to a kitchen for regular cook ups and communal feasts has been essential. The collective originally formed in the Villawood detention centre’s visiting area, around al-Janna chicken from Granville (back when visitors could bring food to the centre). Today it continues to thrive on home cooked chicken curry, daal, biryani, haleem and beef rendang. Over the next period we’ll be making the most of what time is left and having some exhibitions in the gallery so watch this space for invites.
This month also marks the 15 year anniversary of the organisation which is no small achievement. That’s 15 years of continuous (almost weekly) studio-based practice and community gatherings! Those gatherings began in the Villawood detention centre before extending to community spaces in North Parramatta and now Ashfield.
We are looking into new studio or community spaces so if any friends in the arts sector know of venues which might be a good fit for us in 2026 we’d love to hear from you. And just to be clear: the community will not end, even if some things scale down. We will continue to gather regularly in a spirit of friendship, collaboration and community care. We will continue to advocate for and collaborate with people from Palestine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Xinxiang and elsewhere. We will continue to make art, comics, music and zines.
