I wish for oppression in my country to end

Annelise Scott's artist statement reads: My work looks at the idea that everything needs to eat. Despite the ripe tomato looking delicious, something else has got to it first. It is spoiled for one but not the other'. Afghan Persian dialect is embroidered in the centre of the work, when translated into English it reads 'I wish for the oppression in my country to end'.

This is one of 43 embroidered handkerchiefs that is a result of the Making Marks: Australia and Afghanistan - Unfolding Projects, an arts exchange project between women artists in Australia and women undertaking literacy and vocational classes at the Organisation of Promoting Afghan Women’s Capabilities (OPAWC) in Kabul.

Artists in Australia worked on the handkerchiefs in a variety of media and then sent them to Afghanistan. Many of the ‘once marks’ handkerchiefs reflect the Australian artists’ relationship with, and connection to, place, nature and history. These themes are also reflected in the ‘twice marks’ made by the Afghan women whose relations with, and connections to, their place and their history, resonates through each stitch and informs the hopes and dreams articulated in thread. The handkerchiefs are a simple message of solidarity between two cultures and give a sense of connection and friendship.