The exhibition Something there, I hear by Melbourne-based Hazara artist, Zakiria Tahirian, draws inspiration from a stanza by 13th-century poet and Islamic scholar, Rumi.
I went inside my heart to see how it was. Something there makes me hear the whole world weeping.
Tahirian engages with themes of beauty, grief, and censorship related to his lived experience of traditions and displacement across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Australia. Something there, I hear features a suite of new largescale ink on paper artworks. Audiences can interact with the artworks using UV light, revealing layered patterns, symbols and markings. Tahirian uses fragmented letters and calligraphy to explore the evolution of language, the fragility of communication and tensions between what is said and what is silenced. The artworks invite engagement through curiosity, light and attention.
View the exhibition
The Something there, I hear exhibition can be viewed at Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery from Monday 26 May to Saturday 12 July 2025.
Opening times:
- Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
- Closed on weekends and Public Holidays
The exhibition will also be open on Saturday 12 July from 10am to 1pm.
Join the Ink and Illuminate Worskhop
Join a free-flowing art workshop with artist Zakiria Tahirian using watercolour and invisible ink. You will be encouraged to create your own watercolour pieces and then apply invisible ink under a blue UV light.
Saturday 21 June
10:30am – 12:30pm
Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery, Ringwood
This workshop is part of the public program for Refugee Week 2025.
Image: Zakiria Tahirian, Untitled, 2024, watercolour and ink on paper (detail)
