THE Civic Centre will see its windows transformed into a luminous gallery for the upcoming Outback Sufi Conference next month.
Striking geometric designs by Tasmanian artist Hanifa Leoni Macfarlane will take over the facade of the Civic Centre, with locals invited to bring a camp chair and a cup of coffee to observe the exhibition.
Macfarlane’s journey as an artist spans more than 50 years, bringing together skills in graphic design, fine art, Japanese brush painting and Islamic geometry.
She draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including her background in Aikido, a Japanese martial art she’s practiced and taught since the 1960s.
For this exhibition, Circles of Beauty, she’s combined her studies and experience in design, spiritualism and movement to exhibit a cycle of works that are on a 10-minute rotation.
“It’s about beauty, balance, symmetry and what lies beneath the surface,” she said.
The exhibition features work Macfarlane has made over the past 35 years since joining the Islamic faith in the early 1990s.
Each piece is designed to represent a time of day or inner state, with recurring themes such as the door of paradise and rivers described in sacred texts such as milk, honey, water and wine, carrying through the art.
Macfarlane exhibited extensively throughout her former home of Tasmania, including curating and showing work at Salamanca Arts Centre and Moonah Arts Centre.
Her work was included in the first Australian exhibition of contemporary Muslim artists and is part of the permanent collection at the Islamic Museum of Australia.
Macfarlane will be presenting an artist talk on Friday, May 9 at the Demo Club.
The talk will explore the making of the work and some of the hidden meanings contained within it.
The event is part of the upcoming Sufi Conference.
To learn more or attend, visit outbacksuficonference.org.au.
The installation will be on display during the evening hours on the following dates:
Friday May 2, Saturday May 3, Friday May 9 (Wide Desert Listening concert event), Saturday May 10.
