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Art that claims to tackle the big issues facing society is nothing new. However, in the rush to inform and highlight, the true power behind the works can be diminished. It is too often the case that art of this nature can become so involved in explaining itself as A Work of Art that it loses focus of the topic it sought to bring to discussion to begin with. The 8×8 Freedom Exhibition proves a welcome exception to this unfortunate trend.
Currently installed outside the Berkeley Library as part of the weeklong 8×8 Festival, Freedom by Deirdre Ambrose and the 8×8 team poignantly and simply captures the realities of life as an asylum seeker or refugee. The use of relatable, everyday imagery makes the subject much more understandable and impactful on a broad scale. The juxtaposition of motifs such as Starbucks cups and tampon ads, which we are so accustomed to in our daily lives, with themes of dehumanisation and oppression was particularly effective. These contrasts remind the viewer that there are asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland today being treated without the dignity and respect which all people are due. In this respect, the real power of the exhibition lies in the immediacy of its imagery.
The panel “Everyone Has The Right To Privacy” was one of the most hard-hitting. The image depicts a sink in front of a filthy mirror in which the title has been traced. On top of the sink are a large pile of toothbrushes and razor blades with no separation or distinction. The mundanity of the situation is what makes the image so effective. Imagining something so basic yet so personal, such as a toothbrush, being shared and mixed with those of strangers, creates an uncanny sense of invasiveness and absolute lack of personal space. The image is designed to mirror the living situation of so many refugees and asylum seekers in direct provision centres in Ireland and their lack of such necessities as a place to call their own. This point which is expanded upon in the text accompanying the image with personal stories of those living in direct provision. The panel struck me as it highlighted the specific hypocrisy of direct provision: claiming to offer individuals asylum whilst not allowing them any degree of personal or private space, a basic dignity which is essential for an acceptable quality of life.
Each panel provides similarly potent imagery, each one dealing with a different aspect of the experience of refugees and asylum seekers, ranging from the stigma surrounding menstruation to the inability to work for a wage under direct provision. As a free exhibition on campus, I strongly recommend a visit. Ambrose’s photography offers a strong visual declaration of the unacceptability of conditions for refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland and abroad. She reminds us that it is our responsibility to address these issues and work to change them, to offer a true asylum to those in need.
