Artistic Statement

As many of 80% of migrants are today reported as living anonymously, with no documentation to prove their identities. The world is a difficult place. Human rights that have always believed to be innate, recent events have proved that nothing is given. It is possible for any principal, like the sovereignty of a country or the identity of a person to be contested. At times like this solidarity and activism are needed the most. 
 
The installation began as a mural painted by Aziz Al-Asmar on a concrete wall in Idlib, Syria. Inspired by documentary FORGED, about the human right to identity. A locally renowned mural artist, Aziz works across Idlib, painting on canvases that frequently comprise the walls and ceilings of houses destroyed by airstrikes. He is regularly joined by children who help in creating the artworks.
 
The installation was created to be an extension of the film, allowing those who are most affected by this issue of identity in Northern Syria to reclaim their identity for themselves through interaction with the installation. Through taking a photograph in front of it, they could create their own 'documentation', and prove they exist in a world. The mural was completed just over a week before the deadly earthquake that affected Syria and Turkey in February 2023. Aziz, his family, and the mural all survived and it went on to be installed on a screen in Times Square, in New York City in November 2023.