On June 12, 2026, we opened our exhibition Drawn from Pain – Written from Truth at the New England Regional Art Museum.
This exhibition was created from two different countries but one shared wound.
Every drawing was made by my cousin Suad Smo in Iraq, and every piece of writing was created by me, Amera Ali here in Australia.
Together, our work tells the story of what the Yezidi community has carried since 2014.
On the opening night, Suad joined us live from Iraq through Zoom.
She spoke in the Yezidi language, and I translated her words for the audience.
Even though we were thousands of kilometres apart, our voices met in the same room.
It was a moment of truth, pain, and connection — a reminder that the genocide separated us, but it did not silence us.
Many people from the Armidale community and from the Yezidi community came to support us.
Their presence showed us that our stories matter and that our truth is heard.
I want to give a special thank you to Armidale Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement and, specifically, to Alex Riske, the one who was with me during everything till the end, and Carol Mackerras, who organised the funding for everything.
Without their support, this exhibition would not have been possible.
They stood beside us from the beginning, and their kindness helped bring our story to life.
I also want to thank the New England Art Museum, and especially Rachael Parsons, for allowing our exhibition to be shown in this beautiful space.
Her belief in our work and her respect for our story made this exhibition feel safe, honoured, and seen.
Daniel Elliot created this small documentary about the opening night.
The video captures not only the event, but the heart of our message:
that the Yazidi genocide did not end in 2014.
Our wounds are still open.
Many of our people are still missing.
And the mass graves in Shingal are still waiting for justice.
This documentary is our message to the world:
we are still here, we are still healing, and we are still telling the truth.
