Marwa Charmand
Inspired by the works of Australian war artist George Gittoes, war, conflict and social issues are subjects Marwa Charmand takes comfort in addressing. Aiming to be a changemaker through art Marwa is constantly challenging herself to find new perspectives and push boundaries in art.
The Western Sydney artist undertook a three-year course in Fine Arts and furthered her creative studies by completing Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) Honours degree. Her works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and she has gained recognition in her style of art and what she represents as an artist.
The exhibition ‘No Added Sugar’ in 2011, saw Marwa chosen as one of eight women across Australia to participate in an open-themed project working with a local gallery. She created a series of works that revolved around war and the impact it had on families. The confronting themes that the exhibition covered gained much media attention including coverage from the ABC Australia. The exhibition was also shown at Logan Art Gallery, Brisbane.
In 2017, she was one of six artists selected across Australia to patriciate in the Vivid Ideas Cause & Effect exhibition. This exhibition focused on current social issues and Marwa covered the theme of war and conflict. As part of the process artists were required to address their selected social issue and create a new series of work. Marwa was selected to cover the topic of war.
More recently, Marwa’s artwork ‘#Silentprotest’ was shortlisted in the Australian Muslim Artists 2021 Exhibition at the Islamic Museum of Australia.
Marwa believes her ideas are valuable to share with the local community in order to show that people from a diverse background (and women) can be creative, can question ideas and don’t always have to play it safe with creativity. It also shows the creativity that comes out of Western Sydney and all the great things we have to offer. Marwa aims to encourage young diverse creatives to take more action in the arts and show them that all stories, including confronting ones need to be told.
