b. 1988 Garramilla / Larrakia Nation (Darwin, Australia)
Aida Azin Aida Azin is a painter, art facilitator, and community organiser. Her practice emphasises the importance of connection with community and culture. Reflecting on her experiences as a 'third culture kid' of Filipino-Iranian heritage in Australia. She explores many themes in her art. Including shame, joy, identity, heritage and place, and dream symbology.
In 2019 Aida co-founded the Saluhan Collective with an aim to establish a network between creatives in Australia and the Philippines. Now, with the direction of MJ Flamiano and Catherine Ortega-Sandow it has expanded to include collaborative projects that combine arts, ‘archiving’ and community development. The values of Saluhan Collective are underpinned by notions of kinship, reciprocity, and the desire to create spaces that interweave artistry and community, while contributing to the ever-growing Philippine identity.
Aida holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Art from Adelaide College of the Arts and an Honours Bachelor's Degree in Visual Art from the University of South Australia. Her research into systemic racism in the visual arts, viewed through a postcolonial lens, led to the creation of "Brown Pillars," an art installation comprised of paintings on unstretched canvas, secured to bamboo structures as a metaphor for scaffolding on which art institutions were built. This artwork was written about in Art Collector Magazine and presented as an exhibition for her feature interview with Namila Benson on ABC TV's Artworks.
Since 2014 Aida has participated in projects and exhibitions such as Project 20 (the Philippines), Nanhai Gallery, (Taiwan), 98B Collaboratory (the Philippines) and Sandimen Cultural Center (Taiwan) and across ‘Australia’ at Nexus Gallery, Ace Open, Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), Arts House, Bus Projects, FELT space, Blindside and Firstdraft. She is represented by Yavuz Gallery, with spaces in Singapore and Gadigal Land/Sydney.
In February 2025 Aida will participate in the Hyphenated Projects (VIC) mentorship and micro-residency with curator Bianca Winataputri.
Aida is a member of the artist advisory committee for West Space Gallery, Collingwood,VIC. She lives between the Adelaide Hills on Kaurna land (Adelaide, South Australia) and Manila, the Philippines.
The Calamansi Story: Filipino Migrants in Australia by Fides Mae Santos and Grace Guinto, Entree Pinays Pty Ltd, 2023.
Aida Azin: An Exploration of Mother-Tongue Language by Rayleen Forester, un Magazine 14.1, Melbourne, May 2020.
Eight Fingers Crossed, by Aida Azin, Alycia Bennett, Tessa Crathern, Kathryn Evans, Karlien van Rooyen, Ellesse McLindin, Emmaline Zanelli, Thomas McCammon, and Olivia De Silva, Have You Seen Him, Adelaide, 2019.
