A POWERFUL artwork carrying the names of more than 18,000 children killed in Gaza will go on display at Fremantle’s Kidogo Arthouse this weekend, bringing an international memorial project to WA for the first time.
The Wall of Tears, created by American artist Phil Buehler, stretches more than 15 metres and presents the names of children killed between October 2023 and July 2025.
The installation is being brought to Fremantle by Perth Doctors Medical Aid for Palestine, a group of local doctors raising funds for humanitarian relief in Gaza.
Greens MLC Sophie McNeill said the “heartbreaking” exhibition was an important opportunity for people to engage with the human impact of the conflict.
• The Wall of Tears installation at Cottesloe last weekend. Photo supplied
“It had a soft launch in Cottesloe the other weekend and the video I did to promote it received more than 800,000 views,” Ms McNeill said.
The Wall of Tears was first unveiled in Brooklyn, New York, in January and was created as a public memorial designed to put individual names and stories behind a vast death toll. The installation lists children’s names chronologically and includes photographs and short stories about some of those who died.
Buehler has previously produced public works exploring loss, conflict and social issues. The memorial was produced in collaboration with Radio Free Brooklyn and uses a large weather-resistant vinyl mural format.
Organisers say the work is intended not as a political statement, but as a reminder that behind statistics are individual children, families and communities.
PDMAP founding member and anaesthetist David Borshoff said the group’s work was focused on humanitarian support, particularly for children affected by the collapse of health services and shortages of essential supplies.
GP Fergus McCabe said the group’s fundraising had supported medical supplies, emergency aid, clean water and food relief through international partners.
For the doctors involved, the artwork represents the same children they are attempting to support through their humanitarian work.
The installation also highlights the story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl whose death became one of the most widely known individual tragedies of the Gaza war. The artwork was unveiled on the anniversary of her death.
The Wall of Tears will be displayed at Kidogo Arthouse in Fremantle tomorrow (Sunday, June 28), from 10am – 4pm.
The event will also feature knafeh from local chef Knafeh by Omar, with organisers hoping the day provides a space for reflection, community discussion and support for humanitarian efforts.