Remain (2018) displays the beautiful natural environment of Manus Island in Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. However, the men who appear in this work with the island’s natural beauty as their background convey sadness and despair, uncertainty about the future, and the fear of death. They traveled to Australia as refugees but were denied entry into the country, and instead have been incarcerated on Manus.

Approximately 1,500 men were held on Manus Island since the detentions began in 2013. Although the detention center closed in 2016, some of the men remained on the island until 2021. At times, the harsh life on the island became that of a brutal prison, with the men experiencing mental and physical torment, and some suffering mental illness, and others even losing their lives. The video depicts the sharp contrast between the robust, lively natural environment and the people living there, robbed of their freedom, feeling death close by, and it allows us to hear their tragic cries through songs, poems, and words. The video work Remain was created in memory of the twelve men who died as a direct result of immigration detention. Along with the photographic work Remain (2018/2022) , which consists of twelve portraits of men who had been detained there, it poses questions of what respect for humanity means and what the right to live in freedom means.

Hoda Afshar was born in Tehran, Iran and is now based in Melbourne, Australia. She deals with the themes of gender, marginality, and displacement through photography and video, focusing on the camera’s propensity for getting to the heart of phenomena and revealing overlooked aspects of reality. Her practice includes merging elements of documentary with staged scenes to depict a particular reality with greater clarity. Afshar’s work has been shown at venues such as the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), the Lahore Biennale 02 (Pakistan), and the Museum of Photographic Arts (San Diego, USA). Her awards include Australia’s National Photographic Portrait Prize in 2015 and the Bowness Photography Prize in 2018.

Selected Works & Awards

2022

When the Wind Blows, KUNST HAUS WIEN MUSEUM- Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria

2022

Speak the Wind, Monash Gallery of Art, Victoria,

2022

PHOTO 2022: International Festival of Photography, Melbourne, Australia

2021－2

WE CHANGE THE WORLD, National Gallery of Victoria

2020

Lahore Biennale 02:between the sun and the moon, Pakistan

2019

Defining Place/Space: Contemporary Photography from Australia, Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, California, USA

2018

Primavera 2018: Young Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney

2021

Ramsay Art Prize 2021 People’s Choice Prize, Art Gallery of South Australia

2018

Bowness Photography Prize, Monash Gallery of Art, Australia

2015

National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Australia

Exhibition

• Installation view at Aichi Triennale 2022
• Remain, 2018
• Photo: ToLoLo studio