Refugee Week 2024 Art Installation

September 2024
Images © Big Leaf Foundation
This Refugee Week, we hosted a pop-up exhibition exploring the theme of 'Our Home.'

All the pieces you'll see here were created by displaced young people supported by Big Leaf under the tutelage of Ali Arkady. These pieces explore the theme of 'Our Home' and are printed onto Limestone.

Ali's approach of printing images onto stone began as a response to the physical weight he felt on his shoulders after many years of reporting conflicts from the front line. He started working with a heavy stone that he had found in a skip and described this process as a way of transferring the heaviness of his memories onto the stone. 

When we began thinking of ways to celebrate Refugee Week 2024, we knew that the theme of 'Our Home' could evoke some difficult memories for many of the young people we work with. Ali's unique approach to his art spoke to that thought. We worked alongside 12 young people to create and curate this exhibition. 

Each young person has printed images onto stone that made them think of 'Our Home.' Home means something different to everyone, and these pieces explore the themes of friendship, family and loss. 

Many of the young people Big Leaf works with have fled conflict, instability, and danger, leaving their homes and communities behind to find safety and sanctuary in the United Kingdom. These pieces of stone represent the homes they've left behind and the homes they're currently creating. 
With special thanks to Guildford Philanthropy and Ali Arkady.