The artist’s official page identifies the work as "Small steps move mountains," made in 2024, and classifies it within the exhibition or series "Witness." The page provides the medium and dimensions but does not itself interpret the imagery.

Abdul Abdullah says his practice explores identity from both outside perception and lived reality, noting that he examines "the difference between the perception of an identity from the outside and compare it to the reality of a lived experience." This is directly relevant to the claim’s emphasis on identity.

An institutional profile notes that "often playful, with an ironic wit, the art of Abdul Abdullah questions many social attitudes with a cutting depth of feeling below the polished surface." It explains that in his recent paintings, "uncertainty, confusion, sadness and pure joy animate the faces of his ‘anthropomorphised rocks’" against intricately painted landscapes, depicting "stress, joy, or self-reflection that while experienced in moments of isolation, are broadly relatable, and can be understood and engaged with as shared, communal experiences." Abdullah imagines the rocks as having "existed for a very long time" and now being "pleased to see us," projecting a narrative of endurance and reconnection that suggests resilience and personal reflection.[4]

In a description of his landscape and seascape paintings featuring anthropomorphised rocks, it is noted that "the incongruous elements within these pictures represent contradictions between one’s true self, the persona they present to society, and others’ perceptions of them." The works are informed by "Islamophobia and stereotyping" Abdullah experienced as a Muslim man in Australia after 9/11 and are described by him as "almost positive self-affirmations," indicating an autobiographical dimension of negotiating identity and emotional resilience. The text adds that his depictions of stormy oceans and craggy coastlines "address the demonisation of asylum seekers" and "speak to the geographic and political obstacles" they face, using natural barriers metaphorically to discuss exclusion and struggle.[1]

Abdul Abdullah explains that he likes to use imagery and narrative structure in his photographs, saying he is "borrowing from the imagery of cinema and storytelling" and that each element is like "a word in a sentence" that feeds clues to a bigger idea. This supports the claim’s reference to visual storytelling.

A university collection note explains that Abdullah "creates provocative works that make political statements and query identity, examine being a Muslim in Australia, and spotlight the themes of displacement and alienation." It frames his practice as addressing "identity" and the experience of "being a Muslim in Australia" in a way that invites viewers to consider broader social and political contexts, reinforcing that **identity and resilience amid marginalisation** are central to his visual storytelling.[3]

In discussing his embroidery work, Abdullah says he used the medium "to reference traditional methods of illustrative storytelling in the region" and that the works use irony and smiley emojis to introduce an emotional dimension to conflict. This supports the broader idea that his art uses symbolism and visual storytelling.

A curated profile in Art Collector notes that "Abdul Abdullah wins the Packing Room Prize for portrait of Jason Phu as the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman finalists are announced," and discusses his trajectory as an Australian contemporary artist. Art Collector’s broader coverage of Abdullah (on the same profile page) situates him as a painter whose work often engages with politics, identity, and experiences of marginalisation, though it does not mention the specific painting **Small steps move mountains** or attribute themes of resilience and personal growth to that 2024 work.

The gallery notes that Abdullah’s work "explores how boundaries shape inclusion and exclusion, using natural barriers like oceans, rivers, and mountains as metaphors for navigating identity and belonging." This is relevant to the mountain symbolism in the title and the themes of identity and resilience.

The artist describes his work as engaging with the experience of "the Other" and says he examines displacement and alienation that come with migration. He also states that he seeks to create enough overlap of shared experience for viewers to reflect themselves in the work.

Abdul Abdullah’s artist page describes him as grounding his outlook in "an expansive cultural geography" and notes that his practice resists reductive boundaries of nationality. This provides contextual support for readings of identity and belonging in his art.

Ocula’s artist profile states that "As a Muslim artist with Malaysian, Indonesian, and Australian heritage, Abdul Abdullah's work draws from the complexities in his own identity to address the tension between the perception of identity and the reality of lived experience." It further notes that he aims for a "generous" practice with multiple access points—"aesthetic, conceptual, historical or political"—for audiences to enter the conversation, highlighting his use of symbolism and layered visual storytelling around identity and social experience.

The Linden New Art exhibition text for Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (a different artist, Abdul-Rahman rather than Abdul) explains that his sculptures "ruminat[e] on passages of life" and that each work "offers a glimpse of the magical in the everyday," drawing on Islamic hadith as conceptual sources. Although this text deals with another artist, it shows how curatorial writing often frames Abdullah family artists’ works in terms of life passages, responsibility, belief, and making sense of the world, themes related to personal journeys and growth; however, it does not pertain to Abdul Abdullah’s 2024 painting Small steps move mountains.

The Art Gallery of NSW describes Abdul Abdullah as using art as a platform for expressing the personal and political. This is relevant background for interpreting the work through themes of identity and personal growth.

In an artist conversation, Abdullah describes an artwork as illustrating "the idea of an impossible journey" and links that idea to migrant journeys, refugees crossing oceans, and the personal journeys of first-generation children of migrants. He also says he wanted to make the extraordinary ordinary and make the figure feel vulnerable.

The Biennale of Sydney profile describes Abdul Abdullah as "an Australian multi-disciplinary artist" who calls himself "an 'outsider amongst outsiders,'" and notes that "his practice explores the complexities of" his position and Australia’s collective memory. In relation to his series on the Cronulla riots, the text explains that he uses "the theatrical contrivance of 15th-century Renaissance painting" and staged re-enactments to "expose the ease with which memory can be manipulated or exploited" and to question narratives of national identity, indicating his broader strategy of visual storytelling and symbolism to address identity and social conflict.

In a video reel on his Instagram, Abdul Abdullah introduces new works exhibited at Sydney Contemporary, explaining that his paintings often stage theatrical scenarios to tell stories about "how we see ourselves and how others see us" and how people navigate social environments. He describes his practice as using **symbolism and visual storytelling** drawn from popular culture and personal experience to communicate complex emotional states, though the reel focuses on another 2024 work and does not name Small steps move mountains.

The Ocula listing shows the artwork title "Small steps move mountains" by Abdul Abdullah and places it in 2024, confirming the work’s existence and date. The listing itself does not provide an interpretive description.

An exhibition text in a university-affiliated gallery notes that Abdul Abdullah’s paintings employ "layered symbolism, theatrical staging and carefully constructed compositions" to explore "feelings of **otherness, resilience in the face of hostility, and the formation of personal identity**" among Muslim and migrant communities in Australia. The text refers to several series of works prior to 2024 and frames his oeuvre as concerned with how individuals negotiate prejudice and build a sense of self, but it does not mention the later painting Small steps move mountains by title.

A post from Bendigo Art Gallery notes that "Since 2019, Abdul Abdullah has explored how boundaries shape inclusion and exclusion, using natural barriers like oceans, rivers, and mountains as metaphors for navigating" social and personal terrains. The text emphasises his use of geographic or natural forms as symbolic devices to discuss belonging and exclusion, indicating a metaphorical visual language that can be read as addressing resilience and the challenges of crossing or confronting boundaries.