TEHRAN – The “When the Earth Embraces the Sky” art exhibition, featuring works addressing war, loss, displacement and resilience, has opened in Sydney, Australia, with the Iranian section focusing on the Minab school tragedy and commemorating the children who lost their lives in the attack.

The exhibition opened on Sunday at the Frank Oliveri Community Centre in Heckenberg, New South Wales, and will remain open to the public through September 13. The event brings together more than 50 artworks from artists and community members from diverse backgrounds, including Iranian, Afghan, Iraqi, Lebanese and Palestinian communities. 

Organized by the Conference of Birds – Shia Hub for Art & Culture, the exhibition explores the human consequences of war and displacement while emphasizing memory, resistance, resilience, connection and hope for renewal.

The event brings together representatives and artists from communities whose countries have experienced war and military conflict in recent decades. Through painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, sculpture, calligraphy and other forms of visual art, the exhibition seeks to transform experiences of loss and destruction into a broader reflection on human dignity and resilience.

The Iranian section has been dedicated to the tragedy at Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan province, and serves as a memorial to the children killed in the attack.

The Minab tragedy occurred on February 28, when the school was struck during the opening phase of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iranian authorities reported that 168 people were killed and at least 95 others wounded in the attack, which struck the school while children and teachers were attending classes. 

As part of the program, the documentary “Minab,” directed by Iranian filmmaker Maryam Yousefi-Sadr, was screened on Sunday following the opening ceremony. The screening was proposed by the Benevolent Iranian Women Association, which is also participating in the exhibition’s Iranian section.

The exhibition’s broader theme draws on the enduring concepts of memory, loss and rebuilding, while seeking to present the experiences of communities affected by conflict beyond images of destruction alone. According to the organizers, the event aims to highlight the capacity of individuals and communities to remain rooted, rebuild and envision a more hopeful future. 

Inspired in part by the spirit of Karbala and Imam Hussein (AS), the exhibition also seeks to create a space for dialogue among Sydney’s multicultural communities and demonstrate the ability of art to bring together people with different cultural backgrounds around shared experiences of grief, displacement and hope.

The exhibition is free to the public and continues at the Frank Oliveri Community Centre in Heckenberg until September 13. 

SAB/