Stateless: Views of Global Migration

About the Exhibition

While global migration has existed for tens of thousands of years, we are currently facing an unprecedentedly vast movement of people across borders. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 68.5 million people were displaced in 2018, and of that number, 25.4 million have been designated as refugees, 10 million have been left stateless, and fewer than 105,000 have been resettled. 44,400 people each day are forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. Stateless: Views of Global Migration seeks to humanize this stark data, providing an alternative visual landscape to the imagery typically associated with the current wave of global migration. Through the individual lenses of eight contemporary artists, this exhibition lays bare the contradictions inherent to the crisis, finding beauty and strength in the face of collective trauma. These powerful works of art bear witness, contemplate memory, and explore one’s connectivity to a place, even when one can no longer return. Organized by the MoCP’s executive director Natasha Egan, Stateless: Views of Global Migration addresses the individual stories that define this global human crisis.

The MoCP is supported by Columbia College Chicago, the MoCP Advisory Board, the Museum Council, individuals, and private and corporate foundations. This exhibition is generously sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Art Dealers Association Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Efroymson Family Fund. Community partners for Stateless: Views of Global Migration include Heartland Alliance and the Transatlantic Refugee Resettlement Network.