Refugees and asylum seekers involved in the North Tyneside campaign and community group Walking With, supported by campaign group Asylum Matters, are set to unveil a series of images and personal narratives at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.
Artist Sadia Sikandar – an award-winning photographer, teacher, campaigner, and herself a refugee – worked with the group to create the series, entitled Asylum: A Long and Painful Process.
The photographs, and the heartrending stories that accompany them, will be displayed at Baltic as part of a new exhibition We All Came Here From Somewhere, open from 23 November to 9 February, which explores how the North East can welcome people seeking sanctuary in the region.
About the photographer
Born and raised in Pakistan, Sadia Sikandar studied Fine Arts at Punjab University and exhibited her work throughout the world, before she was forced to seek asylum in the UK in 2018, where she faced a difficult and damaging six-year battle to get Refugee Status, during which time she was made homeless and, like all people seeking asylum, was banned from doing the work she loves.
Sadia said: “In my home country I had a job, a car and a home, but I lacked freedom and peace of mind. My life was in danger, which is something people need to understand. Asylum seekers are often viewed as though we come from impoverished or jobless backgrounds, but in reality, I had a very good status in Pakistan. I came here because my life was at risk.
“For those of us who seek asylum, it often means going from having everything to having nothing. This experience strips away our dignity, honour and self-respect. I submitted a new asylum application, which was also initially rejected, but was eventually granted on appeal.
“The entire process took six long years.”
Finally granted Leave To Remain in the UK, Sadia now lives in Glasgow, where she is currently teaching at GoMA, the Gallery of Modern Art.
She added: “Although I have received refugee status, my struggle and determination to improve the asylum system will continue.”
Behind the images
Members of the Walking With group worked with Sadia, taking photographs and sharing their stories, as part of their bid to cut through misinformation and show the British public how truly devastating life in the asylum system can be. Images show members of the group at Seaton Sluice Beach in Northumberland, and at the Wallsend headquarters of Walking With.
Describing the message behind the photographs and their campaign, Walking With operations manager Clare Campbell said: “The idea for this work was borne of the frustration, helplessness and despair felt by so many of our asylum seekers. They feel forced to leave their homes, jobs and sometimes families to escape torture, persecution and war.
“They arrive here hoping for a safer, better life. In the event, many then find themselves crushed by our asylum process. They become trapped in a world of poverty with no dignity and no chance to use their many skills as they wait – often for many years – for a Home Office decision on their asylum claim.
“All too often their mental health gives way before that decision is made. Stress, fear and uncertainty are part and parcel of our system of asylum. The experiences of so many seeking sanctuary here can leave us in no doubt – our asylum system is inhumane and must be changed.”
Symbolism within the pictures
Sadia added: “We chose a beach to symbolise the transitional state many asylum seekers experience. It is a space between the safety of land and the dangers of the open sea, much like the limbo they face in the asylum process.
“They find themselves in a place of uncertainty – like being stranded on a shore, waiting to move and fearing being pulled back.
“The beach represents the endless waiting period they endure in hotels, temporary accommodation and camps. The smoke represents the destruction that forces asylum seekers to flee their homes, the aftermath of war, persecution, or disaster.
“Smoke also symbolises survival and resilience; where there is smoke, there is often fire – a core symbol of human survival. Together, the beach and smoke create a powerful contrast between hope and despair, freedom and entrapment.”
The other photographs in this collection use a calendar, with its grid of numbered days and months, to represent the systematic tracking of time that is so often a central part of immigration and asylum procedures.
Sadia said: “This visual pairing reminds us that behind the policies and protocols are real people with stories, hopes and struggles. The layering of the calendar and the portrait challenges us to consider the intersection of the systemic and the personal, the institutional and the individual, in the lives of those seeking refuge.”
Where to see the exhibition?
The photographs will be displayed in We All Came Here From Somewhere, a thoughtful showcase of artwork, objects and stories at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art from 23 November to 9 February 2025. The exhibition spotlights the warm welcome that is offered by Baltic and by organisations across the North East region. It shines a light on the people, practice and rituals that create a culture of welcome. Officially recognised as a Gallery of Sanctuary since 2022, Baltic embeds a culture of welcome and seeks to promote understanding and celebration of the ways which those people seeking sanctuary enrich our society.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
