Article 14
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Kate Ahmad
About my work
After I read Article 14, the word ‘enjoy’ haunted my thoughts—is it possible to enjoy being in a new country when you have been persecuted and driven away from the place you call home?
I knew I had to focus on Australia’s treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum, a process that has become increasingly inhumane since overseas detention was implemented. As a mother, it is particularly distressing that the country I call home sees it fit to detain children in conditions very similar to jails. I cannot imagine what traumas these kids will carry when they finally see freedom.
The most important thing I could do was place the words clearly, emphasising the word ‘enjoy’. I decided to ‘drain’ the colour out of the words to highlight the injustice of our government and continued torment of vulnerable people. I used recycled sari material given to me by my mother-in-law as the backing for the embroidery.
- Kate Ahmad
About me
Born in 1988, Canberra-based self-made contemporary artist Kate Ahmad currently woks with thread ‘sketching’, watercolour paints, botanical material, photography, recycled and raw fabrics.
Kate draws inspiration from her surrounds, love of nature and nostalgia for Canberra and its surrounding landscapes. She is passionate about having a full understanding and respect for the craft of embroidery in order to disrupt and manipulate it.
As a mother, Kate strives to teach and learn from her kids as she navigates the challenges of being part of a mixed-race family. She finds that expressing herself through different media allows her to reflect on her upbringing and connect to her adopted culture. She is currently inspired by the regional variances in fabrics used to create saris across the Indian sub-continent and the use of rich embellishments on the fabrics to explore colour in its many vibrant scales.
Other blocks about Article 14
