The Everyday Future, The University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Calgary (Canada) 2018
How does it feel to be displaced? What does it do to your sense of identity, of who you are, when you lose your home? How can we talk about these issues if we don’t share the same language?
According to the United Nations, 16.2 million people were newly displaced last year and there is currently a total of 65.3 million displaced people in the world. These are people forced to leave their homes because of violence, persecution, and conflict. In addition, there are also people forced to live in temporary shelter because of disasters caused by climate change.
Trying to grasp the scope of displacement, let alone trying to help make a difference. Can be overwhelming : a problem so large and complex seems impossible to address. We can start somewhere : we can start here. The Art Gallery has invited artist José Luis Torres to create an exhibition that might assist in shifting perspectives and opening up conversations about immigration, refugees, and displacement; about making temporary shelter into a home.
Curator : Josephine Mills