25 Artists, 5000 Hours
About the artists
This magnificent artwork was created in Hatay, Turkey by 25 highly skilled Syrian artists who were forced to flee Syria.
Each of these artists is employed by Orient for Human Relief, a foundation started by Crystalbrook Collection owner, Ghassan Aboud.
The artists:
- Ahmed Alido
- Mohammed Alido
- Muhammed Albayush
- Mudar Zatut
- Mutaz Zatut
- Omar Alosman
- Jamal Alhuseyni
- Mahmut Alhasan
- Osman Alhasan
- Wael Aldani
- Ahmed Alagil
- Mustafa Aldani
- Ahmed Shaban
- Hayyan Burgul
- Saher Karjeh
- Ayham Tataa
- Mahmud Tataa
- Dibo Tataa
- Abulkareem Osman
- Majd Osman
- Nur Yunus
- Aref Osman
- Mustafa Kurunfol
- Ahmed Albayush
- Muhammed Turkmani
The artwork
Dolly the Dugong, 2019
Mosaic
This specific form of mosaic has a rich legacy dating back thousands of years, the skill being passed from generation to generation.
Orient for Human Relief is committed to reviving this rare art and gaining global notoriety for the craft.
In addition to reviving the art form, this programme provides an income for many families and helps people with disabilities get back into the workplace.
Dolly the Dugong took 5,000 hours to complete and comprises of six tonnes of marble broken into over 500,000 pieces.
The history of Dolly
This artwork depicts a Cairns icon dating back to the 1970s when Dolly was accidentally caught in a Barramundi net.
Dolly was taken in by Vic Oke, manager of the Cairns Oceanarium. Vic fed Dolly milk from a bottle along with seagrasses.
The people of Cairns became very attached to Dolly and equally, Dolly became attached to the people of Cairns.
The community was said to be devastated when Dolly died sometime later.
Located at the entrance