Hostage pins to be transformed into permanent memorial artwork
Melbourne artist and curator Nina Sanadze has launched a national project to collect yellow hostage pins, with the aim of transforming them into a permanent artwork to be preserved and displayed in partnership with the Sydney Jewish Museum.
The initiative grew out of Sanadze’s October 7 anniversary exhibition at Goldstone Gallery last year, which became a central site of commemoration in Melbourne. The exhibition opening and vigil drew hundreds of people across the day, including politicians, musicians and artists, and attracted extensive media coverage. Many attendees wore yellow hostage pins.
Yellow hostage pins and messages in Goldstone Gallery (supplied)
During the exhibition, news emerged that the last living hostages had returned. The moment prompted a question from visitors that stayed with Sanadze.
“People started asking, What do we do with the pins now?,” she said. “Some felt ready to give them away. Others said they were not, because not everyone was home.”
Sanadze began inviting visitors to leave their pins at the gallery if they wished. A wall was set aside where pins were displayed alongside handwritten notes explaining what the symbol meant to each person. Over the following months, as the exhibition continued, the wall steadily grew.
“It became clear that these pins carried very personal stories,” she said. “They weren’t just objects people wanted to discard,” explained Sanadze.
Buckets for collecting hostage pins (supplied)
In December, Sanadze took the lead on another major memorial initiative. Following the Bondi Beach terror attack, she coordinated the collection and preservation of the hundreds of flowers and personal items left at the public memorial, working to ensure they were documented, preserved and not simply cleared away.
“That project showed how quickly people respond in moments of grief and how important it is to take those gestures seriously,” she said.
Conversations with the Sydney Jewish Museum, including its curatorial team, led to the hostage pin collection evolving into a longer-term project intended for museum care and future exhibition. While Sanadze initially considered creating an installation at Goldstone Gallery, she said the Sydney museum was better placed to preserve the pins as part of the historical record.
“The museum understands how to look after material like this properly,” she said. “It made sense for this to become a museum project.”
Pins are now being collected nationally through a dedicated PO box in Melbourne, as well as via collection buckets placed in Jewish schools, shops and community spaces, particularly in Sydney. Community members are also encouraged to create their own local collection points using printable labels and forward the pins to the project.
At this stage, only yellow hostage pins are being accepted. Sanadze said items such as wristbands, dog tags and clothing were excluded to keep the focus on the symbol most widely worn across the community.
Although the Sydney Jewish Museum remains closed for renovations, Sanadze said the collection was designed as a long-term effort and was not dependent on an immediate exhibition. She hopes the completed artwork will be publicly shown on an October 7 anniversary, ideally in 2026, either at the museum or as part of a commemorative event.
“These pins were worn close to the heart, often every day,” she said. “Bringing them together allows that shared experience, like the flowers at Bondi, to be remembered rather than disappearing.”
Sanadze said the project reflects her broader approach to responding to events as they unfold.
“People keep asking what to do with the pin,” she said. “This gives it a place, together with thousands of others, so that moment is not lost.”
People who wish to donate their hostage pins are encouraged to send them by post or deposit them at local collection points. Pins can be mailed to PO Box 1240, Caulfield North, Victoria 3161, which has been set up specifically for the project.
Collection buckets with clear signage will also be placed in Jewish schools, shops and community spaces. Sanadze has also made printable labels available so individuals, workplaces or schools can create their own local collection jars and forward the pins together. More information soon on locations of collection buckets.
