A group of women living in a refugee camp in the village of Diavata — near Thessaloniki, Greece — have been showing artwork during Miami Art Week at an exhibit called “One World Show.”
The project, put together by Art 4 Humanity, features photography taken and modeled by the women.
We’re told proceeds from the show’s sales will go to the Photography School — established by non-governmental organization Quick Response Team, which trained the women.
The school that has instructed over 50 budding photographers — who’ve fled countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Iran — works with “refugees fleeing conflicts around the world… as a way to develop their creative skills, reclaim their voices and reinstate their identities,” it says.
Ferzane Naeemi, 28, originally from Afghanistan, is showing off a photo called “Strength.”
“I left Afghanistan six years ago and came to Iran, and I lived in Iran for three years,” Naeemi said in a statement. “Because of the problems that I had in Iran, I left the country with my family. We tried to go to Turkey and the police of Iran caught us and sent us back to Afghanistan.”
Her family then made it to Turkey where over “six months, we tried to go to Greece six times, but unfortunately, police caught us. The seventh time we tried, we reached Greece.”
Naeemi has been living in the camp for four years.
Masoume Tajik, 29, of Afghanistan has a work titled “Dreams” in the powerful art show.
“I left Iran four years ago to come to Greece to be safe and to be free, but I had to cross several borders,” she says, according to the organization. “Me and my family came from Iran to Turkey by foot and then from Turkey to Greece by boat, which took nine hours. It took us a while to reach Greece. When we arrived in Greece, I went to the refugee camp.”
She has lived at the camp for almost four years.
The works are being shown at the Standard Residences, Midtown Miami gallery.