Goddess on the Throne, Feb 24’
Keep In Touch, Nov 23’
1. Inside/Outside And All In Between was a community curated exhibition at the Migration Museum, featuring local artists with a connection to Lewisham. It was co-curated by the Community Curators.
All images by Sopo Ramischwili
2. As migrants, we often find ourselves navigating between the internal journey of identity and belonging (Inside) and the external realities of settlement and integration (Outside). We have private and public selves and conflicts that arise from switching between these identities.
3. The exhibition delved into the complex dynamics of migration and displacement, exploring the potential conflicts, parallels, blends and transformative journeys between the public and private spheres.
4. The external and internal dimensions of ‘home’, outward expression and inner states of being, memory and imagined self/future, struggling with and/or embracing a new culture and identity… and much more.
5. It features responses by artists working across diverse mediums, including film, photography, poetry, painting, collage and more. All of the works in the exhibition were submitted via an open call-out inviting artists with a deep connection to Lewisham to respond to the exhibition themes.
1. Gaza Remains the Story is an exhibition produced and initiated by the Palestinian Museum. It focuses on conveying the cause and context of the Palestinian experience, with a focus on the land, places, and the people of Gaza.
2. The exhibit strives to inform, educate and narrate stories of historical locations and cultural practices in Gaza and provide a glimpse into the arts, aspirations and uniqueness of Gaza, and what remains of it in these most difficult of times.
3. By narrating the stories of Gaza and countering misinformation, Gaza Remains the Story provided a global audience with information and references to contextualise Gaza within Palestine, the region and the entire world. This exhibition employs text, drawings and audio-visual material to explore the historical, economic, geographic, demographic and creative aspects of life in Gaza.
4. Poplar Union hosted this exhibition for two weeks in November 2024. Along with an engaging programme of events, the exhibition featured a rich blend of material offering an authentic insight into the history, culture, and lived experiences of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
5. This exhibition was curated by community curators, Arbër Qerka-Gashi & Amalia Yonaki.
1. In these multimedia collages, Arber explores a four-year research endeavour examining the experiences of former Yugoslav refugees, particularly those from Kosovo, within the London context. Arber investigates the profound impact of displacement, migration, and naturalisation on individuals and subsequent generations.
2. Through meticulous archival work of his parents’ photography and documentation, Arber uncovers the stark language found in these records.
3. Use of terms such as ‘Alien,’ shed a light on the historical dehumanisation of immigrants and refugees in the British context.
4. By overlaying these documents onto images of Arber’s parents at different points of their journey, he aims to humanise the refugee experience, juxtaposing problematic language with serene depictions to further extenuate their humanity.
5. These pieces were included in the In Search For Some Phantom exhibition, hosted at the Crypt Gallery in Kings Cross organised by The International Body of Art.
Goddess on the Throne, Feb 24’
In honour of International Women’s Day, this exhibition highlighed the creativity of British-Kosovar artists, photographers, fashion designers and more.
With a particular emphasis on women, it brought the diasporic Kosovar and Albanian community together at the Kosovar Embassy in London.
Keep In Touch, Nov 23’
1. In these photographic piece, included in the Keep in Touch exhibition organised by 3rd World & Broken Englizh, Arbër explored the importance of memory and space for disporic communities.
2. By positioning his family archival material in new compositions, he presents the visual importance of these images for diaspora and refugee communities.
By drawing on the stories of his family, he took a particular focus on his parents and the relationship they had with the images featured in these photographic depictions.