Curator: Maya Anner
This exhibition juxtaposes two long-term documentary projects by European photographers who captured the experience of refugees in different parts of the world. Their works shed light on the refugee crisis in Europe which has become a part of the international discourse in recent years. Following the attack on October 7 and the subsequent war, displacement became a reality for some two million innocent citizens on both sides of the border, in Israel and in Gaza. Among them are men, women, and children who have lost their homes, but have not lost hope of returning.
Greek photographer Stefanos Paikos, whose works are presented on the right, has been shooting a project that traces the routes taken by refugees to reach European borders since 2021, entitled Reaching for Dusk. Paikos Shifts the direction from the endpoint to the origin, found between Greece and Afghanistan. Despite the media coverage highlighting the population’s concentration in Europe, this 5500 km route passes through Turkey and Iran, the Iranian cities of Tabriz, Tehran, and Yazd, the border town of Zabol, and finally, the Afghan capital of Kabul. Paikos’ photography focuses on the circumstances faced by refugees crossing into Europe, before reaching their destination.
Displayed on the left is a series by Slovak photographer Tomáš Benedikovič who documented the refugee crisis in Budapest in 2015. Benedikovič photographed Syrian migrants and refugees living in the Keleti train station in Budapest for months, awaiting western-bound trains. Later, he followed the thousands of refugees, including families with children and disabled individuals, on their journey from the station to Austria. After months of hoping to board trains to Germany, they were forced to walk after realizing their aspirations were in vain.
In collaboration with the Slovak institute in Jerusalem
