HOLDING SPACE: Rituals of Welcome
New artistic commissions, creative developments, community workshops, performances & exhibitionImage credit: Jacinta Tobin. Photographer: Damon Amb.
Audience reflections:
“I felt community, warmth, empathy, gratitude.”
“Such a positive experience connecting with strangers and sharing stories together.”
“It was a beautiful moment to step into another culture and experience something new.”
“I felt community, warmth, empathy, gratitude.”
“Such a positive experience connecting with strangers and sharing stories together.”
“It was a beautiful moment to step into another culture and experience something new.”
HOLDING SPACE is a recurring (2025-2027) annual program of artistic commissions, creative developments, workshops, public programs and events that aims to provide a provocation and a forum to share cultural and creative ideas, experiences, understandings and learnings centred around belonging and community connectedness.
In 2025, our theme was Rituals of Welcome. Artists from Western Sydney, First Nations backgrounds and refugee communities created works that explored how rituals can bring together traditional practices and modern responses, helping to foster connections within and between different cultures and communities.
The creative works of the 18 artists and over 200 community participants culminated in showcases that took place across two sites and three days. The first showcase event was held at the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House on Friday, 28th of November 2025. The second showcase event was held at the Community Refugee Welcome Centre on Saturday, 6th and Sunday, 7th of December 2025.
CREDITS
Artists: Damon Amb, Elizabeth Jigalin, Ezra Mukendi, Hosna Saif, Jacinta Tobin, Jessica Tobin, Guillermo Robayo Gómez, Justine Youssef, Kumari Abeydeera, Maryam Hosseini, Oonagh Sherrard, Paula do Prado, Shervin Mirzeinali, Shyamla Eswaran (Bindi Bosses), Vishnu Arunasalam, Wendy Qi Zhang, Metin Yilmaz, Damien Wright, Guillermo Robayo Gómez & Black Feather Circle
Senior Creative Producer: Vandana Ram
Assistant Creative Producer: Samantha Barahona
HOLDING SPACE is funded by the NSW Government through the Multicultural NSW COMPACT Program.
Our project collaborators are SSI’s Community Refugee Welcome Centre located at Callan Park, Lilyfield, and Community Partners, Sydney Opera House.