Despite the many struggles and difficulties that the refugee community face, many of them still try their best to have a better life.
Meet some of the artists from Art Box PHM. An organisation which aims to support refugee artists of culturally diverse communities.
Reza’s strong passion for art pushed him to start doing photography and art professionally at 18 years old. As he moved to Malaysia, he realised the lack of access to opportunities for the refugee artists. For this reason, he created Art Box PHM which aims to support these artists by expanding their networks and financial opportunities. Today, he and his team of artists continue to encourage more people to express themselves through art.
Having created her first painting when she was 9 years old, art has always been one of her passions in life. When Sara moved to Malaysia, she joined Art Box PHM which led her to have sold 14 paintings from the year 2018 until now. Awarded as one of the best refugee artists, she was able to share about the inspiration of her art at “Tzu Chi” foundation.
Being a mother of two children, Masuma has been living with her husband and children in Malaysia for 5 years. Masuma’s passion for art drove her to create her first illustration book called “Life Under Taliban”. In addition to her artistic talent, her talent in poetry has won her a prize at the Immigrant Poetry Competition in Malaysia in 2019.
Having lived in a village before, it was difficult for Zahra to get access to painting materials and teachers. Although she was very passionate about art and painting from a young age, her circumstances made it more difficult for her to flourish. As she moved to Malaysia and met Reza, the founder of Art Box, she is now able to express herself fully through painting and art.
Sima has been painting since a very young age and she was even encouraged to do so by her parents. Having learned about oil painting professionally a few years back, she has received numerous orders for her beautiful and detailed paintings. Today, Sima continues to create artworks and paintings as a way to express herself.
Omolbanin has been interested in art since elementary school but has never attended any formal training or class. She first started creating her artworks with colour pencils but has now moved to painting as it gives her more joy and comfort. Her unique paintings often show the different moods and emotions that people tend to have.
The 19-year-old afghan artist has been living in Malaysia for 1 year. She has been interested in painting and art from a young age but only decided to pursue it when she came to Malaysia. Zahra dreams to be a famous painter in the future, as she aims to be well known for her paintings and artworks.
Despite being an afghan, Mozhdeh grew up, studied and was born in Iran. During her 3 years in Malaysia, Mozhdeh has been teaching children the Quran. Recently, Mozhdeh has created illustrations in the books that she creates for her Quran classes.
Having lived in Malaysia for a year, Sajeda was exposed to painting after joining an art workshop. From then on, she started to paint to express her thoughts and emotions. Sajeda finds joy and pleasure in creating meaningful art, as she values originality and meaning in her artworks.
Zenab has always wanted to be a painter, even during her younger years. But as she had to go through many difficulties and struggles, she was never able to delve into painting. As her passion for art and painting grows, she consistently continues to create artworks in hopes to achieve her dream to be a better painter in the future.
Iqra Asif started painting from a very young age. She started to so as a way to express herself, using different mediums and techniques. She is now learning more about different styles of painting and how art impacts society.
The 21-year-old afghan was always interested in art, especially drawing. But when she first started to learn how to draw, it was confusing for her as she didn’t know where to start. When she moved to Malaysia, she started to set aside more time to work on her art. Now she finds joy in painting as art gives her a sense of freedom and happiness.
Undisclosed Information due to the artist’s request.