Refugee Council release

Contemporary art tackling issues of displacement and sanctuary will be showing at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park1 in the ‘No Place’ exhibition from 29 June to 8 July, as part of the national celebrations of Refugee Week 20012.

The exhibition celebrates the rich mix that the movement of people brings to the UK and throws light on the experiences of refugees as they travel to unknown lands; on their reasons for leaving, the difficulties that they encounter and successes that they achieve.

One of the ten contributors, Horacio Herrera-Richmond 3, 4, will be exhibiting his photographic T-shirt project. Describing his work, Horacio says ‘this project promotes empathy by asking a wide variety of people to label themselves as refugees and to challenge existing stereotypes’.

Horacio himself came to the UK as a refugee. He was born the day before the 1973 coup in Chile. Soon after, his father was tortured and killed by the secret police, the DINA. Death threats were also made against his family and they were forced to flee the country and seek asylum in the UK.

He grew up in Hull and then studied graphic design at the Liverpool Art School followed by the Royal College of Art in London. Now working as a freelance graphic designer, he has been involved in a number of different projects, including one with artist Richard Wentworth.

The contributors to the exhibition are Alfredo Cordal, Charo Corrales, Kgan Guner, Horacio Herrera-Richmond, Peter Kennard, Maria Kheirkhah, Maggie Lambert, Laura Malacart, Jenny Matthews, Norma Copa Schenke, Zineb Sedira, Bahar Yamini-Sharif, Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, and their work includes a variety of painting, photography and new media.

‘No Place’ is curated by Norma Copa Schenke in association with the Refugee Council.

Note to editors:
1. Friday 29 June – Sunday 8 July, Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ, Tel 020 7350 0523; Weds, Thurs, Fri & Sun 11am – 5pm; Sat 11am – 4pm; Press and private view, Thursday 28 June, 6.30pm.
2. Refugee Week is taking place on 23 – 29 June, and is a celebration of the cultural contribution of refugees to the UK. It involves hundreds of exhibitions, events and activities across the UK, including ‘Celebrating Sanctuary’ on 24 June, and music, theatre and visual arts with the launch of ‘Artists in Exile’. For more information call the information line on Tel: 020 7820 3055.
3. Horacio is available for interview.
4. A photo of his work, along with that of photographer Jenny Matthews, can be obtained in jpeg format from the Refugee Council.