Canberra artist Fatima Killeen may have left Morocco 17 years ago, but her homeland is always present in her work.
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She says her work helped her through the challenging transition.
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''It was difficult in the beginning but I went to the School of Art straight away,'' she said.
''That was a way of knowing people and knowing their culture, but I was always very assertive. It was a deliberate choice for me.''
Killeen's art was on display at the Canberra Islamic Centre as part of its international food bazaar yesterday.
Visitors to the Monash centre took in the range of pieces which Killeen said addressed topics such as war, illegal immigrants and people displaced through violence.
The works also featured examples of Arabic calligraphy.
''For me, I want to keep the Islamic culture alive but also have a message,'' she said.
''I want to show my concerns when it comes to the Islamic world ... It's narrative for me is something that has to live through the pieces. I want to speak to the world about these issues.''
Killeen said a lot of inspiration for her work was taken from her former life in Morocco, which she was glad to share with people unfamiliar with Islamic issues yesterday.
''You can see people coming from different faiths, coming to enjoy the food and art,'' she said.
Canberra Islamic Centre president Azra Khan said the food bazaar was a monthly event, which had recently grown to showcase more than cuisine.
''We decided to do something different and feature the culture, as well as the food,'' she said.