Art auction benefits RFDS

Detainees at Curtin Detention Centre are being allowed out of the centre to mix with Derby locals as they take part in projects including the centre’s first art competition and auction held on Sunday.

Six detainees spent a few hours outside the centre to witness Curtin’s inaugural detainee art auction on Sunday afternoon at Jila gallery and cafe.

Gallery owners Mark and Rose Kraljevich judged the art works and declared Sayed Reza Azimi the winner.

His work has been sent to Canberra to compete in a national detention centre art competition, which will be judged next week.

Ms Kraljevich said all 76 pieces of art, from painting, drawings, machine sewn paper bowls, painted gumnut necklaces to hand drawn t-shirts, were sold, and the $3500 raised is being donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Derby.

The detainee artists who attended the event, Reza, Hussain, Mahdi, Abdullah, Daniel, Hussain, were all smiles as their work attracted bids from Derby locals as well as detention centre employees and religious and legal detainee advocates.

Onlookers said the detainees looked happy, healthy and very pleased to be visiting town and mixing with townspeople.

Curtin client services senior operations manager Christine Blackman said it had been a successful and worthwhile event.

“It is wonderful that the clients have donated their artworks for the RFDS and it is great that they have been able to come out and see their work on display,” she said.