A splash of colour will kick off Refugee Week, which will feature an exhibition showcasing the artistic talents of female refugees, immigrants, and trauma survivors.
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The gallery is run through STARTTS, the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, featuring five women from completely different backgrounds.
Over the past few months the newly formed Multicultural Women's Art Group have been meeting up at Create Hub Riverina to learn art and make friends with other newcomers who have chosen to make Wagga home.
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One of them is Zahra Khan Moradi, who said she used to love doing oil painting back in her home country of Iran.
She said the group made her feel much more at home, especially now that she had made some new friends in her new community.
"Charlie and Sharomi - they are very nice people and very nice artists," Ms Moradi said.
"I like art very much and now I am very glad for having this group."
Taiwanese immigrant Charlie Lee said she always looked forward to the classes, which were the highlight of her week.
Ms Lee was a backpacker who did fruit picking and factory work around the Riverina before falling in love in Wagga and deciding to settle down long term.
However, Ms Lee said she still draws artistic inspiration from the memories she gathered during her time as a backpacker.
"In Australia the culture, the buildings, the landscape is so different compared to Asia. Everything is so fresh, so new - everything is totally different," Ms Lee said.
"I like drawing, so I want to recreate all the beautiful things I see in my memories."
Sharomi Dayanand, who came from South Africa, said she joined the group as a way to learn about different cultures and meet new people.
Mrs Dayanand said many of family were still in South Africa, but that she had managed to discover a whole new family while living in Wagga.
"We find being here you grow such beautiful bonds with friends that they become family, and we learn so much from each other," Mrs Dayanand said.
"Every one of us endowed with such special qualities and strengths, so learning from each other is such a beautiful thing."
The exhibition will be officially opened this Saturday from 1.30pm at the Curious Rabbit.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
