The Arabic word "Khalas" is difficult to translate into English and can mean a number of different things: "stop", "finish", "that’s all", "it’s fine" and "enough!"
It's also an appropriate title for this exhibition of Australian Muslim artists, which argues that Australian Muslims have had enough of the fraught sociopolitical pressures they find themselves under every day. How each artist chooses to express that sentiment varies greatly: Abdullah M.I. Syed uses everyday objects to comment on complex political ideas while Hoda Afshar’s highly stylised photographs challenge the dominant images and representation of Muslim women in the west.
Co-curator Nur Shkembi said: "The variety of subject matter dealt with by the artists in Khalas is both intellectually potent and deeply personal. This exhibition in many ways shares so much of my own lived experience as a visibly attired Muslim woman. When confronted with relentless negative stereotyping, portrayals of violence and associations with terrorism, Australian Muslims at times do find themselves in a reactive position and compelled to prove their right to be part of society. Khalas presents the artist narratives on their terms – they are leading the conversation and subverting the rhetoric with their personal truth, humour, wit, soulful reflections and critical observations."
The exhibition features 16 Muslim artists from a range of backgrounds: Abdul Abdullah, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Hoda Afshar, Safdar Ahmed, Khadim Ali, Leila El Rayes, Eugenia Flynn, Alia Gabres, Karam Hussein, Zeina Iaali, Khaled Sabsabi, Ms Saffaa, Abdullah M.I. Syed, Mehwish Iqbal, Fatma Mawas and Shireen Taweel.