Hello… مرحبا
Aseel Tayah is an internationally acclaimed creative producer, multidisciplinary artist, and the visionary Founder & CEO of Bukjeh. Deeply rooted in her mission to create meaningful change, Aseel’s work masterfully intertwines arts, culture, and education to amplify marginalized voices and foster authentic connections across communities.
From her humble beginnings as a pharmacist—where she first discovered the power of healing spaces—Aseel transitioned into the arts, earning a Master’s degree and teaching visual and performing arts to gifted students. Her unique journey has shaped her ability to craft transformative experiences, from magical storytelling sessions to dynamic cultural gatherings, leaving an indelible impact on every community she touches.
Aseel’s advocacy stems from a deep commitment to addressing the needs of her people. She has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in the arts and cultural sector, driving groundbreaking collaborations with governments, universities, not-for-profits, and leading arts organizations worldwide. Whether directing theatre productions, building cultural initiatives like the first toy library in her homeland, or working with youth in prisons, Aseel’s creative practice bridges divides and empowers communities.
As a Palestinian Australian, Aseel’s work champions social justice, refugee rights, climate action, and the struggles of First Nations peoples, carving space for underrepresented voices on a global stage. She is renowned for crafting work that is unapologetically by her people, for her people, and about her people, always ensuring authenticity in storytelling and representation.
Highlights of her work include:
– The Bukjeh performance of refugee songs and stories told inside a specially repurposed The disaster relief tent has been presented dozens of times at Theatres, performing arts centers, and Communities across Victoria
– Preparing x hundred Eid Festival care packages for children locked down in Melbourne’s public housing towers in 2020
– Funding and coordinating Palestine’s first-ever toy libraries
– Sabahiya Youtube channel for Australian, Arabic-speaking children and their parents
– The Singing Feast cultural kitchen events for Melbourne Knowledge Week
– We Deserve to play, a community arts fair held at Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine
In addition, Aseel is a sought-after speaker, musical performer, and consultant to the arts, culture and community sector. Her latest work in development, Ardna, is a collaboration with First Nations artists exploring the experience of land and country common to Indigenous Australians and displaced persons.
Awards I’ve Won
Australian Muslim of the year 2024
Australian Business of the year 2023 finalist
Tedx Melbourne PulggedIn 2020 Best Speaker
Victorian Multiculture Commission Excellence In The Art Award 2020
WAW Creative Art Pioneer Award Winner 2020
Australian Muslim Artist Of The Year Finalist 2020
WINNER The Joan and Betty Rayner Australian Children’s Theatre Foundation Commission
What People Are Saying
“Aseel began to sing and our audience held their breath; it was such a resonant and moving song. She is a vital and passionate artist whose approach to her art, with its message of building bridges between new and established communities, is inspiring and never more important than in Australia today.”
— Ruth Oakley,
Monash Academy of Performing Arts
“Bukjeh’ is a work of extraordinary generosity, offering both a glimpse of the diversity of human experience and an opportunity for understanding. The glimpse is a gift; the opportunity for understanding is a blessing”
— Sean Kavanagh, Kingston Art
“Your beautiful voice filled the tent with love and warmth and made me teary”
”— Mai Sarraj,
Department of Molecular Translational Science,
Monash University
Cooking with Aseel Tayah was absolutely the highlight of my week! If you know Aseel, you know her passion: for community, food, stories and music… and all of these elements are beautifully combined into an action-packed zoom cooking class. I couldn’t believe how much cooking we got done, and it was lovely to see everyone’s smiling faces.
—Morgan Jane Brady.
Be Part Of My Journey
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.