Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Creating Shelter

Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Creating Shelter is a look at civil strife, economic insecurity, and proliferating environmental crises, as artists from across the globe explore the search for refuge—how, why, and where people need, seek, and create shelter. The technologies of transport have long determined the movement of people and goods, fueling the expansion of empire and capital, the displacement of communities and resources, the shapes of borders. As the global refugee crisis continues, ensuring universal access to human rights in a world where, as poet Amit Majmudar says, “There’s no America to sail to anymore,” will require seismic changes—changes potentially inspired by accumulation of the subtle yet potent shifts in perspective that art can engender. Describing the role of art in shaping change, Richard Mosse says, “I believe that beauty is the sharpest tool in the box; I think that aesthetics can be understood as the opposite of anesthetic; it can be used to awaken the senses rather than to put you to sleep. We have a moral imperative to adequately communicate these difficult narratives so that people can be more aware.”

Artists: JR, David Allee, Daphne Arthur, Jorge Mendez Blake, Pavel Braila, Carlos Caballero, Yoan Capote, Jota Castro, Nick Cave, Antonio Cazorl, Sterling Crispin, Roberto Diago, Michael Eastman, Richard Ehrlich, Lucas Foglia, Carlos Garaicoa, Sair Garcia, Yuan Goang-Ming, Anthony Goicolea, Luis Gonzáles Palma, Dylan Graham, Anita Groener, Alex Hernandez, Alfredo Jaar, Adam Katseff, KCHO, Ellen Kooi, Dinh Q. Lê, Glenda Leon, Hew Locke, Ibrahim Miranda, Mohau Modisakeng, Richard Mosse, María Ossandón Recart, Zak Ove, Fabiano Parisi, Alain Pino, Sandra Ramos, Naomi Safran-Hon, Avelino Sala, Amparo Sard, Hiraki Sawa, Esterio Segura, Stephanie Syjuco, Carlos Velma, Tuguldur Yondonjamts

Curator: Alice Gray Stites