Saturday July 18th

10am to 1pm

Starting at Barkly Square, Ballarat East at the First Nations Women’s Yarning Garden &

ending at Gallery 10, Bridge Mall with exhibition and lunch

WADAWURRUNG COUNTRY

Take a walk through the Ballarat CBD guided by Amy Tsilemanis and friends with creative activities on route including:

-First Nations plants and tea with Bec Jakobi

-Poetry and history with Nadia Rhook

-Laneway Paste Ups with Linda Franklin

and finishing with a new photographic

exhibition at Gallery 10, a collaboration between

Amy in Ballarat Australia and Aseel in Rafah Gaza

& lunch c/o The Near East Kitchen.

Tickets are priced at $99 with a pay as you can option of any amount over $35.

Tickets include all activities and lunch.

All proceeds of this event will go to Aseel and her family

Please advise of any access and dietary requirements.

Join us for this special event, a chance to come together to stand up for peace and freedom and play with various creative practices, all whilst supporting an emerging artist in Gaza, displaced by the devastating assault on her people and destruction of her city. Aseel’s family home, along with her university have been destroyed and she shares a tent with her mother, father, and siblings, each day a struggle to survive.

Despite the dire situation, she is dedicated to her university studies in new media and has collaborated with Amy Tsilemanis to share her daily reality through photography and short texts, featured in this pop-up exhibition where our walk will conclude with viewing and lunch.

Across the seas, Amy & Aseel have formed a friendship and through their parallel lives, shared their front doors, their stoves, their desks, and their skies in a photographic dialogue.

The exhibition at Gallery 10 presents these images, as well as Aseel’s photographic depictions of her beloved city, before and after the destruction. She is proud to have her work exhibited for the first time and thanks all for their support and solidarity.

About us:

Aseel is an emerging photographer and journalist from Rafah, Gaza, studying her first year of university in new media. She and her family share a tent after being displaced multiple times, and restricted aid leaves them in need of basic food and medicines. In spite of ongoing danger and hardship, she aims to continue her education and to share her difficult journey and help her community. In this, her first exhibition she says “Your presence and support mean a great deal to me, and I hope I have conveyed a part of my story and the reality here in Gaza… If you would like to support my journey and my family during this difficult time, you can donate via the link. I would also be delighted if you followed me on my Instagram page. @aasei_l “

Dr Amy Tsilemanis (A.T Studio) is an artist, producer, curator, and researcher, based in Ballarat Australia on Wadawurrung Country. She works in the GLAM sector, and across audio storytelling, poetry, collage, participatory walks, and installation, exploring connections to place and to each other through time. https://amytsilemanis.com.au/ @amytinderbox

Bec Jakobi is a proud First Nations leader who is a respected voice for cultural education and community pride in Ballarat and beyond. This year she became a Great Women of Ballarat honouree. She loves sharing her knowledge at the First Nations Women’s Yarning Garden, Barkly Square, and is owner of Tru Dreaming, offering cultural workshops including traditional weaving, dance and art along with Acknowledgements of Country, Smoking Ceremonies and dance performances, in response to growing demand. https://www.facebook.com/TruDreamingBallarat/ @yarninggardenballarat

Nadia Rhook (she/her) is a poet, historian, and educator, and the author of the poetry collections: boots and Second Fleet Baby. Her forthcoming collection, Stone Veins, connects with the history of bluestone mining on Wadawurrung Country and will soon be released by Cordite Books. Nadia currently facilitates place-based creative workshops and writes about colonialism, ecology, health and love. http://www.nadiarhook.com/ @nadiarhook.writer

Linda Franklin is a visual artist with 36 years of experience. Known for her skilful combining of mark-making, illustration, collage, painting, and installation.
Her work enquires into the human condition, social and environmental issues, that she exhibits in galleries, festivals, and public art projects.
https://www.lindafranklin.com.au/ @linda_franklin_artist

GALLERY 10 is the art studio, tutoring and exhibiting venue of Linda Franklin.
Group art exhibitions are hosted biannually to showcase local contemporary makers.
@gallery_10_

The exhibition Storytelling across the seas; from Ballarat to Rafah will be open to the public, following the walk event and lunch Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of July between 1 & 4pm

Additional artists involved over the weekend include Jem Olsen (textiles), Sean M Whelan (poetry), Josh Pomery (pinhole photography) and Ellen Sørensen (music)