Summary
Greeting Card made by Thomas Le, a Vietnamese migrant. Thomas undertook some art training in Vietnam before he escaped at the age of 16. Since arriving in Australia he has put himself through an Art and Design course at Preston TAFE and Phillip Institute and now runs his own Graphic Design business. He also creates his own artwork in the form of a visual diary of his life, including the many traumatic experiences he believes he has to deal with by painting them out of his system. Thomas donated the images of these cards to Austcare which seeks to help refugee children throughout the world. He views this as a way of giving something back for his new life in Australia for others who are suffering.
Physical Description
White square cardboard greeting card. The front of the card has a white boarder around a print of a Crocodile on a background of purple, red and yellow. The tail and face of the Crocodile are out of the purple water. It has a green body with blue scales. There is extensive text printed in black on the back of the card.
Significance
The impact of Thomas' immigration and refugee experiences is evident in his willingness to donate his time and art to the cause of Austcare which aids refugee children. Thomas undertook some art training in Vietnam before he escaped at the age of 16. Since arriving in Australia he has put himself through an Art and Design course at Preston TAFE and Phillip Institute and now runs his own Graphic Design business. He also creates his own artwork in the form of a visual diary of his life, including the many traumatic experiences he believes he has to deal with by painting them out of his system.
Thomas donated the images of these cards to Austcare which seeks to help refugee children throughout the world. Thomas views this as a way of giving something back for his new life in Australia for others who are suffering. He identifies with the plight of refugee children who miss out on simple pleasures such as reading books and looking at illustrations other than war propoganda.
More Information
-
Collection Names
-
Collecting Areas
-
Acquisition Information
Donation from Mr Thomas Le, 24 May 1999
-
Artist
-
Manufactured For
-
Inscriptions
On the back of card: 'Crocodile' / "Many refugee children grow up behind barbed wire / or in isolated camps. They've never seen a cow or dog. / Too many refugee children think green grass / is something to eat, not something upon which to romp and run." / Sadoko Ogato United Nations High Commission for Refugees / AUSTCARE / "CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF HELPING REFUGEES" / AUSTCARE / LOCKED BAG 15 / CAMPERDOWN NSW 2050 / TELEPHONE (02) 9565 9111 / Proceeds from the sale of this card will benefit AUSTCARE - Australia's answer to refugees in need. / Card designed for AUSTCARE by Thomas Le..© Copyright Thomas Le
-
Classification
Cultural identity, Ethnicity - creative practice, Paper craft
-
Category
-
Discipline
-
Type of item
-
Overall Dimensions
13 cm (Length), 13.2 cm (Height)
-
Keywords
Charities, Fauna, Flora, Political Prisoners, Refugee Children, Refugees, Vietnamese Communities, Vietnamese Culture, Vietnamese Immigration, Vietnam War Refugees
