Journey into Exile

Art Refuge UK have curated a travelling exhibition of artwork produced by Tibetan refugee children and young people in the context of the Art Refuge programme. It powerfully bears witness to their concerns and experiences. The exhibition is organised around three of the key themes which recur in the children’s work: beginnings; the journey and future hopes.

Beginnings

Children in the Art Refuge programme often draw and paint recollections of home. Many children also produce vivid and disturbing images depicting killings and violence. Whilst some children have witnessed acts of violence and brutality in their homeland, many of the images depict events that have not been directly experienced by the children themselves. Instead they portray events from narratives which have been passed on by their elders. For the children to draw such events spontaneously and voluntarily in the Art Refuge programme highlights the emotional impact and significance of oral history in a culture where freedom of expression has been suppressed.

The Journey

‘The Journey’ is a theme which repeatedly appears in the children and young people’s artwork. Whilst it is impossible for them to portray the full intensity of the cold, hunger, fear and danger they have experienced, the images communicate something of the emotional impact the journey has had. Some of the art within this theme was created by survivors of the Nangpa Pass shooting in September 2006 — an event which attracted extensive media coverage in the West.

Future hopes

One of the most striking themes to emerge within the work produced on ‘Future hopes’ is the repeated depiction of the Tibetan flag which is outlawed in Tibet itself. Idyllic rural scenes and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet are also portrayed.

Journey into Exile has been exhibited at: The Sweet Tea House Gallery; The Houses of Parliament, London; The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh; Winchester University; University of Edinburgh; The Open University.

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To see thumbnails of these images, click here Journey into Exile