While some of us have watched helplessly at those harrowing images from Afghanistan, award winning artist and social commentator Ben Quilty has stepped up to help the plight of the Afghan people. Once Australia's official war artist in Kabul, in this episode Ben offers a unique perspective on the plight of the Afghan people in the face of the Taliban. Also in discussion is his time at the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley for World Vision. In the second half of this episode Ben talks about his wonderful relationship with Margaret Olley, including a story involving a hospital, all the flowers, cigarettes and Margaret being very inappropriate, and later Ben reflects on his relationship with Myuran Sukumaran who at the time of his death described Ben as the "second best artist in Australia."  Episode notes -  Ben Quilty has kicked off a fundraising campaign for UNHCR - the United Nations High Commission for Refugees - to try and help the people he lived with, worked alongside and shared in their remarkable stories of survival. Search Ben Quilty Afghanistan Raisely or click on this link -  www.crisis-in-afghanistan.raisely.com/ben-quilty You can find Stellar magazine in print every Sunday, pick up the latest copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), the Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland), Sunday Mail (SA) and Sunday Tasmanian (Tasmania).    

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.