Kurdish refugee nominated for top Australian art prize

Mostafa Azimitabar, who painted using a toothbrush, fled Iran and was held for eight years in Australia’s immigration system. Mostafa Azimitabar, a refugee held for eight years in Australia’s hardline immigration system, has been named a finalist in the country’s top art prize for a self-portrait he painted with a toothbrush. Azimitabar, a Kurd who fled persecution in Iran and is better known as Moz, said being a finalist for the prestigious prize was “one of the best moments of my life”. KNS088 Azimitabar’s self-portrait is entitled “KNS088”, the government identification number he was given during his eight years in detention. Australia’s detention hotels, which made global headlines earlier this year when tennis star Novak Djokovic was held in a dispute over his visa, were “worse than Manus”, he said.