'Homeless women are not anonymous statistics. We are mothers, sisters, Aunties, Grandmothers, as a community we have a responsibility to ensure that their voices inform, are heard and that these women are SEEN, and their needs addressed through policy reform.’
The UNSEEN Women Artist Group travelled to New York for the 69th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the leading global forum advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. As women with disability, First Nations women, and women from culturally diverse backgrounds, they shared powerful stories of resilience, inclusion and social change through the arts. Their presentations, discussions and international collaborations demonstrated how creativity can challenge barriers, amplify unheard voices and inspire more inclusive communities. Showcasing the transformative power of lived experience, they ensured Australian stories contributed to global conversations on equality, human rights and the implementation of the Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action.
MUTTI is proud to have supported twelve of the women from the UNSEEN Women Artist Group to speak at the NGO Forum of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York in March 2025. This annual two-week forum brings together representatives from UN Member States, civil society organisations, and UN entities at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss and document the lived experiences of women globally, shaping international standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Our event at the forum was co-hosted with Australian Graduate Women and the Breaking Silent Codes Network Inc.
On Tuesday 5 August, over 200 people gathered in the Fountain Court Gallery of NSW Parliament House for the launch of UNSEEN Women: From the Margins to the Mainstage: Amplifying Voices of Resilience and Change. Opened by Mr Alex Greenwich MP, the exhibition highlights the voices of women with lived experience of homelessness, violence and intersectional discrimination. Introduced by Belinda Mason OAM, Creative Director of MUTTI, alongside Aunty Dixie Link Gordon, Founder of Breaking Silent Codes Network, the launch also heard from Dr Jane Bullen, filmmaker Dieter Knierim, and producer Gbenga Yusuf. Several of the artists, including Evie, Kelly, Roshee, Peta, Jai, Mon, Fiona, Susan, Aunty Sonya and Lani, shared their powerful stories before guests connected with the artists over refreshments.
A powerful new exhibition by the UNSEEN Women Artist Group is on display at NSW Parliament from 5–29 August 2025. First unveiled in March 2025 at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the exhibition features painting, photography, textiles and mixed media by more than 30 artists from across NSW who have experienced homelessness. Their art reflects the realities of women who identify as First Nations, LGBTQIA+, culturally and linguistically diverse, or living with disability, exposing hidden pathways into homelessness and calling for systemic change. Co-created through MUTTI’s touring UNSEEN Arts Hub with local artists, services and communities, UNSEEN Women reclaims public space and reshapes narratives of women’s homelessness.
UNSEEN Women is an exhibition of fabric artworks created by members of the UNSEEN Women’s Artist Group that share their personal stories of domestic violence, disability and homelessness have been displayed from the 17 April – 28 May 2025 at the Lionel Bowen Library Maroubra with the support of the Randwick City Council. Their powerful stories highlight the urgent need for housing security and policy reform, that has been inform by the voices of marginalised women.
The UNSEEN Arts Hub activation in Albury in regional NSW was launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2024, inspiring meaningful conversations and actions to promote awareness, healing, and social change. The UNSEEN Women Artist Group presented art exhibitions and installations alongside local Indigenous cultural activities, including dancing and traditional weaving. Community members visiting the Hub were able to speak with the UNSEEN women in person, participate in creative workshops on millinery, patchwork, and coolamon-making, and to access local services marquees.
The UNSEEN Arts Hub was pleased to be the venue to host the launch of Ageing on the Edge ‘Home At Last’ Report in December 2021. The women of the UNSEEN Women Artist Group were able to present at this event and share their diverse stories of housing insecurity and homelessness. Ageing on the Edge state housing is critically important for physical and mental health, and general wellbeing of older people. With a decline in home ownership at retirement age, unprecedented increases in housing prices and a reduction in social and affordable housing stock in NSW, older people are experiencing significant housing challenges and are at increased risk of homelessness. Here is a LINK to the ‘Home at Last’ report.
