For the four light boxes on the external walls of Point Cook Community Learning Centre, Safa El Samad developed new works with her signature medium – machine embroidery. Through this series, Safa draws upon her family story, embracing the experience of dislocation with a deep and enduring passion for fruit, labour, and life.
Artist Statement
Fruits of My Father’s Labour tells the story of my father, who grew up in the village of Bakhoun, Lebanon, working in an orchard, picking and packing a variety of fruits. This work was not only a means of survival but a lifelong passion. After migrating and settling on Wurundjeri Country, he opened his first fruit shop at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Airport West.
He spent his nights sourcing stock from the Melbourne Market in Footscray and his days running the shop. Years later, he operated a weekend market stall in Laverton, which became a rite of passage for all six of his children, me included. Today, half of us continue to work in the fruit and vegetable trade either running our own businesses or working alongside our father at his current stall in Footscray Market. His grandchildren are now beginning to experience the fruits of his labour.
These artworks were created using an embroidery digitising software typically employed for machine embroidery but here, it has been repurposed as a contemporary interpretation of embroidery’s long-standing role as a storytelling medium.
About Safe El Samad
Safa El Samad, a 2nd generation Lebanese settler on Wurundjeri land, is a multidisciplinary artist and fashion designer with a passion for upcycling objects and garments destined for landfill. Recently, she earned a Master's in Architecture from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Image credit: Safa El Samad, Fruits of My Father’s Labour. Photographed by Christo Crocker
Fruits of My Father’s Labour (2025) by Safa El Samad Gallery
