Refugees Welcome
Installation, London, 2016
Alketa sought to recreate the welcoming feeling she herself experienced when she was new to the UK. Transforming the inside of a transit truck into a seemingly welcoming area for individuals to share their own experiences and thoughts on how refugees should be welcomed, Alketa created a space that serves as both a reminder of the darker side of the refugee experience and an invitation to imagine a brighter future.
Refugees Welcome (2016), Moving Stories, The British Museum, London, UK, Counterpoints Arts
Refugees Welcome (2016), The Journey of the Truck Begins, Refugee March, London, UK, Counterpoints Arts
Ahead of presenting the installation at the second Refugees Welcome Here March in London on 17th September 2016, Alketa said:
"Art may not be a solution for the millions of people in the world who have lost their homes. But I believe that art can make the issue of refugees visible, in a way that is understood by all, regardless of faith, nationality or language. Where language fails, art can break through. People have known about the use of rape as a weapon of war in Kosovo for a long time, but when I hung 5,000 dresses in a football stadium there last year, they couldn’t look away. They were faced with the reality! Refugees Welcome will be a window into the welcoming Britain I remember – a safe space where people from all backgrounds can come in, have a sit down and share a story. I hope you can join me."
Refugees Welcome was commissioned by Counterpoints Arts and had its debut at the British Museum as part of Refugee Week 2016.