Australia
A collaboration between artist Atong Atem and Australia for UNHCR uses art to challenge ideas of identity and belonging.
For anyone passing through Sydney’s bustling Martin Place this June, a unique installation might stop you in your tracks.
Acclaimed artist and former refugee Atong Atem has collaborated with Australia for UNHCR to celebrate World Refugee Day 2025 with an arresting oversized print of her artwork Three Women.
World Refugee Day – held annually on 20 June – honours the strength, courage and contributions of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution.
The printed ground decal will be on public display from 19 - 27 June in one of Australia’s busiest public thoroughfares. Come and see the display and meet our friendly team in Martin Place between Elizabeth and Phillip Streets.
Ms Atem’s work celebrates beauty, culture and belonging. The three women in her portrait stand proud and calm, painted in bold, bright colours.
“The women in the photograph are all South Sudanese, and they all have a refugee background or experience,” she says. “It felt really important for me to take portraits of people who resonate with my experience… not pitying them or focusing on [their] trauma, but acknowledging their presence.”
The idea behind this unique collaboration is simple but powerful: to use art to tell a different kind of refugee story. Through this project, Ms Atem and Australia for UNHCR are inviting the public to reflect on who gets to be seen, who gets to belong, and what it really means to welcome someone.
“I hope that when people see the collaboration between myself and UNHCR, that in some small way they're able to challenge the idea of what a good or deserving refugee is,” says Ms Atem.
“I’m here as a refugee or former refugee who makes art. And I’d love to challenge the idea that we get to dictate who is and isn’t good enough.”
Ms Atem is known for her vibrant, expressive work across photography, video and textiles. Her work has been shown in major galleries and festivals across Australia and internationally.
Ms Atem’s art often draws on her own experience of displacement. Her mother gave birth to her in Ethiopia, while fleeing civil war in South Sudan. Just weeks later, her family joined thousands of others fleeing on foot in search of safety. Her mother carried her in a baby bathtub balanced on her head.
They eventually arrived at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. From there, Ms Atem’s family was granted a humanitarian visa supported by UNHCR and arrived in Australia in the late 1990s. They settled on the NSW Central Coast, where Ms Atem began to find her voice through art.
“I was that kid with all the crayons, drawing all the time,” she says. “If I wasn't proficient with the language, at least I could express myself through art.”
Now based in Melbourne, Ms Atem continues to use her creativity to reflect on her story – and to connect with others who share similar experiences.
The installation is timed to mark World Refugee Day on Friday 20 June.
“Australia for UNHCR is delighted to partner with Atong Atem to celebrate World Refugee Day in such a visible, creative, and thought-provoking way,” says CEO, Trudi Mitchell.
For Ms Atem, placing this work in the heart of the city also carries deep meaning.
“Having this work featured in such a prominent place – Martin Place in Sydney on World Refugee Day – is such a big deal because it's an important day.
“This partnership between myself and UNHCR means a lot to me for multiple reasons. Mostly because it’s an opportunity for me to respond to what I feel grateful for – being supported by UNHCR as a displaced person in my early childhood.
“I hope people at least stop and have a look, because that’s what it’s there for.”
Please support displaced families this World Refugee Day by making a tax-deductible donation.
The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.
