Naarm/Melbourne artist Lara Chamas has been awarded the 2026 Australian Muslim Artists (AMA) Art Prize, sponsored by La Trobe University, for Dawa Ahmar ('red medicine'), a striking mosaic recreation of her grandmother's prayer mat that traces memory, faith and family through a history of displacement and conflict.
Drawing on the Byzantine mosaics of Beit ed-Dine in Lebanon, Chamas transforms a deeply personal family object into a powerful meditation on lineage, loss and resilience, incorporating glass, concrete, metal and Betadine to evoke the enduring material and human scars of war.
Of her work, Lara Chamas said "it is a love letter to the people of Lebanon, my parents, my family, my lineage, my grandma, who I never met; and a reflection on the constant devastation that the region faces."
The AMA exhibition showcases 22 works across painting, photography, textiles, calligraphy sculpture and mixed media, celebrating the depth of talent within Australia's Muslim creative community.
Dr Mahmoud Mohammed, Senior Curator at the Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) said Lara Chamas's work demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of contemporary art to hold beauty and devastation in a single work.
"The power of Dawa Ahmar lies in the tension between its beauty and what sits beneath that beauty. Lara has taken an object associated with prayer, memory and home and reconstructed it from materials that evoke destruction, displacement and war. That tension gives the work an extraordinary emotional weight," Dr Mohammed said.
The AMA Art Prize, sponsored by La Trobe University was announced at the exhibition's official opening on Thursday 13 August by the university's Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Academic), Professor Sue Bennett.
Of La Trobe's sponsorship of the AMA Art Prize, Professor Bennett said the partnership with IMA reflects their shared commitment to fostering greater understanding of culturally diverse communities and their experiences.
"The Australian Muslim Artists Art Prize provides an important platform for artists to explore identity, heritage, faith and contemporary experience through their work," Professor Bennett said.
"Each year, we are impressed by the depth and diversity of the artworks submitted, and Lara Chamas' Dawa Ahmar is a powerful example of how art can connect personal stories and cultural histories with broader conversations about our shared humanity."
"We warmly congratulate Lara on this well-deserved recognition and are proud to continue supporting Australian Muslim artists through our partnership with the Museum."
Judges for the 2026 prize were Dr Stefano Carboni; Dr Karen Annett, Director, La Trobe Art Institute; Amelia Wallin, Senior Curator, La Trobe Art Institute; Dr Anisa Buckley and Dr Mahmoud Mohammed, Senior Curator, Islamic Museum of Australia.
The Australian Muslim Artists exhibition is on display from 13 August - 7 November 2026 at the Islamic Museum of Australia.
