Moj Habibi

FEATURED ARTIST

 Introduction

My name is Moj Habibi. I am a Persian Australian conceptual artist working mainly with ceramics, installation, and mixed media. My practice explores identity, resilience, hope, and cultural dialogue through sculptural forms and spatial installations.

I was born in Iran, a country with a deep tradition of poetry, philosophy, and art, but also a place where many people today are still asking for freedom, dignity, and basic human rights. Growing up within that cultural and political reality shaped the way I think about art and its role in society.

Clay became the central material in my work because it carries memory. It records the trace of the hand and the passage of time. Clay remembers the touch of the hand. In the same way, cultures remember the stories of people.

My life has moved between lands. I now live in Newcastle on the Country of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples, and I also work in Moree on Gamilaroi Country. Through my practice I explore quiet connections between Persian cultural traditions and First Nations knowledge, especially the deep respect for land, storytelling, and cultural endurance.

For me, art is not only about making objects. It is about creating spaces where people can pause, reflect, and feel connected to our shared humanity.

Journey into Art

When I moved to Australia I began studying art formally. In 2006 I started studying at TAFE, which was the beginning of my artistic journey here. Later I continued my studies at RMIT University, doing Bachelor and Master degrees in Fine Art.

From the beginning my work always carried a narrative. I felt that art had a role in society and that sometimes art can express things that words cannot say.

This idea became central to my doctoral research at the University of Newcastle. My PhD explored how political artists communicate their ideas in societies where speaking openly can be dangerous and where democracy is limited.

Many people in the world are silenced or cannot speak freely. Through my work I try to create symbolic spaces where those voices and experiences can still be remembered and where art can raise awareness.

Art cannot solve political problems, but it can keep memory alive and remind us of the dignity and struggles of others.

Advice to My Younger Self

I would say be patient and trust your voice.

An artistic career rarely grows quickly. It develops slowly through playing, experimentation, and commitment to the work.

I would also remind my younger self that art can be a form of courage. Through art we can speak about justice, dignity, and freedom in ways that reach people emotionally.

Even small creative gestures matter. Real change often begins with simple acts — one person listening, one person creating, one person choosing compassion.

Artists Who Inspire Me

I admire many female artists whose work speaks about human rights, justice, and the importance of caring for one another.

Here in Australia I admire First Nations artists such as Destiny Deacon and Tracey Moffatt. Their work reflects honestly on colonial history, cultural identity, and resilience, and reminds us how important it is for art to hold cultural memory and speak truthfully about history.

Artists such as Mona Hatoum and Shirin Neshat have influenced me through their exploration of identity, displacement, and what it means to live between cultures. As someone who was born in Iran and now lives and works in Australia, I feel a strong connection to these questions.

I also deeply respect artists like Käthe Kollwitz and Barbara Kruger. Their work addresses social injustice, power, and the dignity of ordinary people, reminding us that art can respond to the realities of the world around us.

What inspires me about these artists is that their work is political but also deeply poetic. They create spaces where viewers can reflect on human experience, justice, and belonging.

In my own practice I try to create similar spaces through clay and installation, where people can pause and reflect on humanity, memory, and hope.

Barriers as a Female Artist

One challenge that many women artists still face is visibility and recognition within the art world. Historically, women’s contributions have often been overlooked.

As someone who grew up in Iran, I am very aware that in many parts of the world women still face restrictions on freedom of expression. Living and working in Australia allows me to create and collaborate openly, and I feel a responsibility to use that freedom thoughtfully.

Through founding the Moree Arts Community Centre and organising exhibitions with First Nations artists, I try to create spaces where different voices can be heard and respected.

Questions in My Practice

Now I am interested in how art can hold memory, resilience, and hope at the same time.

Clay is an ancient material that remembers touch, land, and time. When we shape it with our hands it records a moment of presence, almost like a quiet archive of life.

In my work I ask how materials can carry stories that are not always spoken. How can form, texture, and light communicate emotions, histories, or cultural memory?

Working with First Nations women artists has been a very important learning experience for me. Through collaboration I have learned that meaningful cultural dialogue grows slowly through patience, trust, and respect.

Sometimes the most important learning happens through simply spending time together, sharing space, and making things side by side.

As someone who has lived between cultures, I am interested in how different traditions can stand beside each other in dialogue without losing their uniqueness.

Through clay I try to explore these spaces where memory, identity, and place meet.

Thoughts While Working

When I work with clay my mind becomes quiet. The process is both physical and meditative. My hands are moving and shaping the material while I am listening to what the clay wants to become.

Sometimes I think about memory and time. Clay has been used by humans for thousands of years, so when I work with it I feel connected to a long history of making.

Often I think about land. Living and working on Awabakal, Worimi, and Gamilaroi Country has deepened my awareness of place and the relationship between people and the earth.

At other times I think about people whose stories are not always visible or heard. My background from Iran and the experiences of people who struggle for freedom and dignity often enter my thoughts.

But the studio is also a place of hope. The act of slowly shaping clay reminds me that transformation is always possible.

Balancing Art, Community, and Work

Being an artist today involves many responsibilities.

After completing my PhD I lectured at the University of Newcastle until the art department was sadly closed. That moment was difficult for me, but it also encouraged me to think about how I could support communities in other ways.

In 2023 I founded the Moree Arts Community Centre, MACCI, as a voluntary not-for-profit space where people can come together through art.

Over the past 3 years I have organised four exhibitions and many workshops through the centre.

Alongside my art practice I am also involved in the Iranian community in Australia, and I teach wellbeing practices such as yoga, meditation, Reiki, and spiritual dance. These practices support creativity and balance in my life.

Community work is very meaningful to me, but I also protect time in my studio where deeper reflection and creative thinking can happen.

Creativity and Balance

Creativity does not always require perfect conditions.

Sometimes it grows in quiet moments. When I work with clay the world slows down and I can focus.

Making art is also a way of finding balance. Life is like a dance, we try to remain centred even while everything around us moves.

Artistic Confidence

Confidence develops slowly through experience.

If artists follow only the market, the work can lose its honesty. I try to stay connected to the deeper questions that matter to me.

Art should come from curiosity, reflection, and care.

Future Work

I am interested in continuing to create large installations and more interactive artworks that combine clay, light, and space.

Some of my recent works explore illuminated ceramic forms where light moves through openings in the clay. These works reflect ideas about inner awareness and the human presence.

I am also interested in artworks that invite participation, where viewers can engage with the work and become part of the experience.

Upcoming Exhibitions

I recently curated and participated in the exhibition Traces of the Hand at the University Gallery at the University of Newcastle. The exhibition opened on 7 March 2026 and continues until 9 May.

The project grew from collaborative studio work with Kamilaroi women artists through the Moree Arts Community Centre. The artists were very emotional and excited to see their work presented in a gallery environment, and it was a powerful moment of shared pride and recognition.

My next exhibition, which I will also curate and organise, will take place at BAMM Gallery in September. It will present new works exploring land, memory, and cultural dialogue.

Conditions for Making Art

For me the most important things are time, attention, and openness.

When the studio becomes a place where experimentation is possible, the work can develop honestly.

Sometimes my work is not made only in the studio. Some pieces were created directly on site in Moree, along the Mehi River and in the cotton fields.

Working in those environments allowed the land itself to participate in the work. The river, the soil, and the cotton fields all carry stories of place and history.

Creating work in those spaces helped me connect more deeply with the landscape and the community.

Evolution of My Practice

Earlier in my career I focused more on individual objects.

Over time my practice expanded toward installations and collaborative projects that engage with space, community, and cultural dialogue.

Looking Forward

At a time when the world feels uncertain, including in my homeland Iran where many people are still asking for freedom and dignity, I believe creativity can offer hope.

Everyone can contribute something positive to the world. Even small gestures of care, awareness, and creativity can help shape a more compassionate future.

Through my work I hope to create spaces where people can pause, reflect, and reconnect with their shared humanity.

Follow Moj Habibi

Website: https://mojhabibi.com/

Instagram: @moj_habibi1

Please feel free to share, with following credit: courtesy of www.davidgriffen.com and www.thenovocastrian.com.au