Arif Satar
Image source Six Two Three Zero
Arif Satar was born in the Island of Mozambique on the southeast coast of Africa. Growing up under Portuguese fascist and colonial rule his sense of identity was enmeshed with a feeling of otherness, although then he couldn’t quite articulate why or how. Today an investigation of his Indian-African-Arabic background is intrinsically embedded within his art practice, which draws upon on densities of heritage, memory, contemporary literature and history.
He works with printmaking, ceramics, the moving image and sculpture. Weaving across his work are references to the forms and materials encountered in childhood, from the majestic mosque minaret opposite his family home, to the missangas and capulana cloth sold in his parents’ little shopfront.
Arif holds an Environmental Science degree from Murdoch University, Perth, and has studied artmaking methods and materials, extending the tradition of ceramics that he learned at a young age.
Arif Satar is partnered with Audrey Fernandes-Satar and their work is very often done in tandem.
Arif Satar and Audrey Fernandes-Satar are visual artists living and working in Walyalup (Fremantle), Whadjuk Noongar Country.
Working individually and in collaboration, their practices intersect through a shared interest in uncovering complex memories and histories, both personal and collective. Across sculpture, drawing, text, printmaking, sound and the moving image, Satar and Fernandes-Satar draw from ancestral stories, rituals and crafting techniques to create a rich dialogue between the past and the present.
Migrants many times over, the pair forge a line of inquiry grounded in understandings of the intricate practices that tether and connect. Traversing themes of displacement, home, identity, history, and politics – their work is characterised by a sensitive interrogation of material, and an exploration of methods of expression.
Together, Satar and Fernandes-Satar have exhibited works, undertaken socially-engaged community art projects and created art for public spaces, both in Australia and overseas.
Arif and Audrey’s multidisciplinary practice centrally positions the knowledge, experiences and needs of the community in which they work. Authentic community engagement informs the conceptualisation and development of artworks.
Visit: aandasatar.com, wfac.org.au
