In the quiet northern suburbs of Wadawurrung country, Djilang/Geelong, in the shadows of an oil refinery on the industrial edge of Corio Bay, is a modest cottage. This is the home of Luke Mustafa Woods, a proud Wiradjuri man from up north. This neat little home is also his art studio.
“My Nan taught me to paint; she used to paint emu eggs,” Luke tells me. "I messed with painting when young but at eleven, I left my country and ended up on Wadawurrung country, living on the streets for many years”.
Luke has been painting full time for 20 years and professionally for the past 10 years.
Many public buildings in Djillong are testament to Luke's skill and the styles of his paintings reflect his cultural heritage. I first met Luke washing dishes while volunteering at a community cafe. Not knowing he was an artist, we chatted about the world. Then he showed me a photograph of a painting he had just finished and donated to Free Palestine Printing for auction. All the proceeds are donated to Palestine. It is a beautiful painting, where the Aboriginal flag has been welded into the Palestinian flag and the red from both flags blend together as one.
Luke's work is displayed at the Horsham Art Gallery. He does not have prints of his works done — he only does original work. His studio is covered with beautiful paintings of landscapes and stories. This was the sixth painting he has done to raise money for Palestine.
Luke tells me he became a Muslim more than a year ago. It was partly in response to the world around him.
“Aboriginal cultural values and the Muslim faith have a lot in common, we share similar values. I'm an aboriginal Muslim and I love my culture and I love my religion. I paint and this is the way I can contribute to help the people of Gaza.”
The colonial history of Australia and Palestine shares experiences of oppression and exploitation. This shared experience is where Luke amalgamates the Aboriginal flag and the Palestinian flag
His paintings have texture and raised bumps. You can feel the land under your fingers, close your eyes and you can feel the country and hear the stories. Luke tells me all his paintings have a story and a meaning and he includes these with his Certificate of Authentication. With a wry smile he says, “Otherwise how would you know what the story is?”
This story of Palestine, like our story, must be told.
See more of Luke's artwork on his Facebook page.