After a hugely successful inaugural year, the Harmony Art Collective, in collaboration with Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), the Australian Government and aMBUSH Gallery, returns to unite disadvantaged youths aged 15-24 through art.

Having expanded its footprint to WA for the first time, the nationwide initiative will culminate in a breathtaking public exhibition of the works at Darling Quarter’s OPEN from 12 March – 27 April 2018 as part of Harmony Day (21 March).

The Harmony Art Collective exhibition will officially open with a launch event on Tuesday 13 March at Monkey Baa Theatre Company, Darling Quarter.  Hosted by much-loved SBS presenter Patrick Abboud, the event will feature an address by the Honourable Alan Tudge MP, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.

This year, the Harmony Art Collective have recruited  four Australian artists known for incredible urban artworks, including internationally renowned illustrator Jeremyville; the first Archibald Prize-nominated street stenciller, Luke Cornish, aka Elk; one of Australia’s finest muralist and contemporary street artist, Fintan Magee; and illustration and monochrome mural master,  Georgia Hill.

Between them, the four artists have worked with local community centres in Darwin (NT), Westmead-Girraween (NSW), Wyndham (VIC), Mirrabooka (WA), Ipswich (QLD), and Salisbury (SA) over the past five months.

The project has uncovered some incredible new talent, including Mohamed Bulhan who has lived through attacks on his family in Somalia, to finding empowerment through art; Simon Shahin, a Syrian migrant who went from living just a kilometre away from the terrorist frontline to pursuing photography and Bella Ndayikeze, who has found a safe space to express herself and ignite her creativity – far from refugee camp in Tanzania.

Alongside the exhibition, the project will also produce four fascinating short documentaries on the national workshops airing on SBS Learn, plus a behind the scenes photography exhibition showcasing works by Sydney photographer Billy Zammit.

SBS has also created a new online learning resource which will enable schools and community centres to run their own workshops. The resource is produced by SBS Learn and is available on their website.