Seeking Safety by Sea

On display from 12 September until 22 October 2023

On 19 October 2001, a nameless fishing boat with hundreds of refugees onboard sank near Indonesia in an area intensively patrolled by the Australian Defence Force. This tragedy has become known as the SIEV X incident, in reference to the name given to the boat by Australian authorities.

This community exhibition developed in collaboration with Hunter Asylum Seeker Advocacy contains works from renowned Australian artist and refugee advocate Kate Durham as well as artworks made by students from Cooks Hill School. Combining art, documentary footage and survivor testimony, Seeking Safety by Sea reflects on the SIEV X tragedy in order to remember the past and inspire hope for the future.

Image credit: Scales of Justice, 2004 (detail) Kate Durham
On loan from the Fryer Library, University of Queensland

City of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional country of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples. We respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing relationship with the land, and recognise that they are the proud survivors of more than two hundred years of dispossession. City of Newcastle reiterates its commitment to addressing disadvantages and attaining justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this community.

Seeking Safety by Sea

Venue