The Longing & Belonging exhibition is presented as part of the 2026 South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival:
When: Monday to Friday until 30 August
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: Australian Migrant Resource Centre, 23 Coglin Street, Adelaide SA 5000
The exhibition features artworks by artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, celebrating identity, resilience and belonging.
We invite you to visit the exhibition, support our talented artists, purchase an artwork, and discover the AMRC Wellbeing Circle, a place to connect, participate and be part of a stronger, healthier community.
Celebrate art, culture and community with us.
ARTISTS BIOS
1. Ahmed Alkhalidi & Rua Hashlamoun – Madinati | Palestine & Jordan
Madinati explores how a city is shaped not only by its buildings, but also by imagination, memory and personal experience. The exhibition features two canvases, Cities and My City, alongside a short documentary film that captures the creative process and themes behind the works. The film can be accessed via QR code. The project is a collaboration between Ahmed Alkhalidi, an Adelaide-based visual artist whose practice spans painting, mixed media and digital collage exploring memory, place, identity and belonging, and Rua Hashlamoun, a Principal Architect at Brown Falconer whose work examines how people experience cities and how identity is shaped through public space. Madinati is a project of the Arabic Language and Culture Association of South Australia (ALCASA).
2. Martha Cecilia Egas | Equador
Originally from Ecuador, Martha Cecilia Egas discovered her passion for painting after settling in Adelaide. Guided by respect, empathy and curiosity, her work celebrates the power of art to connect people across cultures and experiences while reflecting her own journey of belonging in Australia.
3. Fatema Ali Hosain | Afghan Hazara
Fatema Ali Hosain is a self-taught painter and poet. Born in Afghanistan, she later moved with her family to Iran before resettling in Malaysia as a refugee. For Fatema, art is a powerful form of self-expression. Through vibrant colours and joyful compositions, she conveys hope, resilience and optimism, inviting viewers to share in the energy reflected in her work.
4. Zeinab Hosseini | Afghan Hazara
Zeinab Hosseini is a 19-year-old artist who recently moved to Australia after developing her artistic practice in Iran. Working across oil painting, coloured pencils and charcoal, she specialises in charcoal portraiture, combining technical precision with expressive storytelling.
5. Shaqayeq Ikhlasi | Afghan Hazara
Shaqayeq Ikhlasi (Shaqa) is a young artist who uses art as a language of emotion and storytelling. Through colour, shape and intricate detail, she explores themes of longing, belonging and self-discovery. Her work reflects her personal journey while inviting others to connect with shared emotions and experiences. Shaqa is currently studying at the Adelaide Central School of Art.
6. Tushar (Tee) Patel | Adivasi/India
Tushar (Tee) Patel is an Adivasi (Indigenous) multidisciplinary artist from India whose practice spans photography, clay, papier-mâché, floristry, traditional henna art, Rangoli and mixed media. Inspired by nature, ecology and his Indigenous cultural heritage, his work explores themes of identity, belonging, migration, mental health and the connections between people, culture and place. Now based in Adelaide, Tushar uses art to share stories, foster community connection and celebrate cultural diversity. His work has been exhibited in India and Australia, including with the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, and he received the 2018 SALA Public Choice Award at the University of South Australia.
7. Matti Spellacy – Prios | Greece
Matti Prios (μΠΣ) has explored a variety of artistic media throughout her creative journey, with photography remaining her first love. Since retiring from the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC), she has devoted her time to experimenting with new artistic styles. Her current practice focuses on flow painting, inviting viewers to slow down, embrace the present moment and reflect on the pace of modern life.
8. Tia Ramadan | Palestine
Tia Ramadan is an 11-year-old artist of Palestinian background who has lived in Australia for the past 18 months. A Year 7 student at Valley View Secondary School, she is a self-taught artist with a passion for painting, poetry and paper model making. Through her creativity, Tia celebrates her imagination, identity and cultural heritage.
9. Leibniz Vanegas | Venezuela
Leibniz Vanegas is a self-taught artist from Venezuela who has developed her distinctive visual language through independent learning, personal exploration and continuous experimentation. Working in abstract art, she creates organic and intuitive compositions in which line is the essential element of her artistic language. Rather than controlling every stroke, she allows each line to emerge naturally, inviting viewers to discover hidden forms that shift with every gaze. Her work celebrates intuition, authenticity and the expressive power of abstraction.
10. Rahmana Yawari | Afghan Hazara
Rahmana Yawari is an Afghan artist living in Adelaide. For Rahmana, art is more than a passion—it is her voice, her memory and her hope. Through her paintings, she explores identity, resilience, freedom and belonging, drawing inspiration from her own journey and the experiences of Afghan women. She hopes her work encourages empathy, sparks meaningful conversations, and reminds us that hope and humanity can endure, even in the darkest of times.
