Urban Refugees Art Exhibition: Let’s Walk My Journey
Refugees in Indonesia are still waiting for the light to come. Living in limbo makes them feel like they are walking in a long, dark tunnel with so many limitations, including the necessities. Many of them don’t have an opportunity to go to school or university; spending their youth living in this country without any certainty, but it doesn’t stop them from continuing to keep working and creating something.
RDI UREF invited refugee artists from anywhere to participate in the “Let’s Walk My Journey (LWMJ)” art exhibition to voice their stories through art. The medium of art is not limited to only painting, but also writing, photography, and handcrafting. This exhibition was held both online and offline at Work Coffee Jakarta on 6-20 August 2022. This event presented artworks by 32 refugee artists from seven countries of origin, with Vincent Rumahloine, a contemporary artist with works focused on humanity, as a curator. The exhibition aimed to build public awareness of the existence and condition of refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia.
The artworks in this LWMJ art exhibition were expected to show the refugee experience from the first person’s point of view to the visitor. Art is the chosen medium to express their desires, hopes, and
thoughts. This exhibition also opened a space for discussion with artists through public events such as talk shows, film screenings, and book launches.
For two weeks, the exhibition at Work Coffee Jakarta has been visited by approximately 250 visitors from different backgrounds and knowledge. The online exhibition had around 350 visitors. We
hope this exhibition can have an impact on the refugee community and Indonesian people as well. Living in uncertainty will be a little different once Indonesian people recognize the existence and reason
for being a refugee. A little help may change someone’s life greatly.
Written by Febrianti Hasanah
