Where Is the Bā’?

Where Is the Bā’?, from the Language in Exile series ? by Lily Hamza - This piece was built slowly, layer upon layer. It is part of a series I am currently developing, exploring what happens to language in exile. I want to preserve the authenticity of the Arabic letter, its history, its cultural weight, and its value, while also expressing my own changing relationship with it.

For me, language in exile has not remained whole. At times, it has broken apart, faded, or disappeared within me, only to return and take shape again in a different way. Through this series, I am bringing together memory, culture, language, and the traces they leave within us. Each work is a personal reflection on how these elements are carried, fragmented, erased, and continually formed again within the self.

Please note: the in situ image is for display purposes only and may not represent the artwork’s exact scale. Please refer to the listed dimensions.

This Artwork is sold unframed. 

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lily is a Brisbane-based artist with a background in journalism. Before moving to Australia, she worked for several years as a reporter in the Middle East, telling people’s stories and advocating for their rights. Although her professional journey has since taken her across different industries, the desire to explore human experience and tell meaningful stories remains central to her work.

Today, she continues that storytelling through abstract art. She paints to understand herself, to heal, and to see the world from different perspectives.

Her practice is an ongoing experiment with colour, texture, instinct, and emotion. She is drawn to abstraction because it gives her the freedom to explore beyond ideas of right and wrong, beauty and imperfection. She enjoys trying unfamiliar techniques, changing direction, making mistakes, and allowing each piece to become what it needs to be.

For Lily, art is a process of recovery, self-discovery, and making sense of the world around her, one experiment at a time.