10/08/2026
Contemporary migrant stories
with Elizabete Ozola, TMAG Contemporary Migrant Experiences Project Officer
Thursday 20 August, 10.30am
Central Gallery, TMAG
In this fascinating floor talk, Elizabete Ozola reflects on her migration journey and how it has shaped both her life and professional practice here in Tasmania. From her childhood in a small fishing village in Latvia, where her family’s house museum sparked her interest in memory and cultural heritage, to her current role as Contemporary Migrant Experiences Project Officer at TMAG, she will explore how building meaningful relationships with migrant communities supports the preservation, interpretation and celebration of contemporary migrant stories.
She will also discuss the development of the first suite of Contemporary Migrant Experiences interpretive labels for current TMAG exhibitions Becoming Modern: Mid-Century Australian Art and Exposed Lands: 100 Years of Tasmanian Landscape Photography, highlighting the research process that brought post-war migrant artists’ perspectives into greater public view.
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Elizabete Ozola writes:
‘I grew up in Latvia, Northern Europe, raised in a home that holds five generations of stories, and where the Baltic Sea shapes everyday life. A place very close to my heart is my family’s house museum, filled with fishing and farming tools and everyday objects engraved with ancient Latvian symbols of protection and ownership, quietly reminding us that culture lives in the details — in our hands, our homes, and the memories we share from those that came before.’
With a diverse background in early childhood education — Montessori pedagogy, arts education, public programming and community engagement, Elizabete brings a multidisciplinary and deeply personal understanding of migration, heritage preservation, and inclusive storytelling.
As a first-generation migrant to Australia, Elizabete is excited by TMAG’s ongoing commitment to preserving contemporary migrant experiences and feels honoured to contribute to this work.
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This is a FREE event and you are welcome to bring non-member friends. For organisational purposes, please let us know you are coming.
BOOK FOR CONTEMPORARY MIGRANT STORIES
https://friendsoftmag.org.au/event-6766601
Shown below is the story of Jan Senbergs, on one of the interpretive labels created for Becoming Modern. These stories add immeasurably to the depth of the exhibition, and allow us to see how the artists' formative experiences influenced their works.
