A s y lu m S e e ke r s : M or ia T he D r aw ing s of H a m e d S ol t a ni
A s y lu m S e e ke r s : M or ia T he D r aw ing s of H a m e d S ol t a ni University Ar t Galler y Depar tment of Ar t School of the Ar ts California State University, Stanislaus
A n n e Di G r a zi a
In March 2 0 1 6, t h e E ur op ea n U n i on an d Tu r ke y s ign e d a c ont r ov er s i a l d ea l to p r ev e n t re f u ge es a nd m i g ra n t s from re ach in g E u r op e . As p a r t of t he agr e e m e n t , t h e G r eek g ov er n m ent conf in e d re f u ge e s a n d m i g ra nt s t o f i v e islan ds fo r t h e du ra t i on of t hei r a s y l um proce s s . T h e Mo r ia c a m p i s on t h e islan d o f L e s bo s . To da y, it is e s t im a t ed t h a t m or e t h a n 9,3 36 as y lu m s e eker s l i v e on Les b os . Some 7, 3 0 0 o f t h em l i v e i n ext r em el y poo r co n dit io n s in M or i a , t he l a r g es t camp o n t h e is lan d w h i c h h a s p r ev i ous l y bee n de s cr ibe d by s om e a s a “ p r i s on � .
Anne Di Gr a zi a
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I mag ine . . .
Imagine living in a cramped refugee camp filled to over three times capacity with people from all over the world, struggling to stay alive. You are fifteen, an orphan from Afghanistan, and tonight the camp is bursting into flames, riots, tear gas and fighting. In order to avoid getting caught up in the mess, you flee, walking over three miles in search of an abandoned building, somewhere safe. That is exactly what happened the night we met Hamed Soltani. He was looking for a safe space—an unaccompanied minor, all alone. That memorable night, he mentioned his talent for putting together films and shared a few of his sketches; our chat was brief, but a bond was struck. A short time later, we contacted Hamed through social media, asking him to donate one of his amazing sketches for our traveling art exhibit in support of our documentary project Asylum Seekers: Moria. He sent twenty-seven. Pencil and pen sketches, one a day for twenty-seven days, all on notebook paper, mind-blowing imagery. They arrived on the day of our first exhibit. Watching people view his works for the first time was unforgettable. See, it wasn’t his incredible talent that blew us away; it was the images he put on the paper, his memories, his life, horror and tragedy intertwined with his hope and dreams for the future. Beyond his obvious talent, Hamed’s giving heart spoke volumes to us. We know his future in the arts is bright and will impact how people view events in the world. Being able to curate a show with his pieces changed our lives, and for that we are eternally grateful.
Anne Di Grazia and Irene Hollebrandse
A nne Di Gr a zi a
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H a m ed S oltani
I r e ne H olleb r and se
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I a m H a m e d S ol t a ni .
I was born in Afghanistan on the 21st of March, 2002. I was orphaned at the age of 5. I started drawing when I was 11 years old. After taking part in a workshop for artists organised by a friend of mine I realised that art is my life—drawing and filmmaking are my greatest passions. I am also keen on comic books and graffiti. I decided to flee my country, running away from wars, terror and lack of education. I have been through a lot of hard and painful moments in my life and I have seen a lot of terrors. In October 2017, I made it to Lesvos, which is a Greek island, having travelled alone for four months through Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. Europe was supposed to be a dream come true, but I got stuck in Moria camp. Surrounded by barbed wire, I started drawing. My sketches are made in pencil and ink. In my works I want to show the places I remember or that I know from the Hazara stories. But some of the places are just figments of my imagination. My sketches are also a record of my long journey to Europe and my life as an emigrant and refugee. I am trying to show what it takes to flee your country, to search for your identity and your place in the world. My drawings are often reactions to what I can see (the Kabul drawing was produced after the Kabul blast); some reflect my fears or hopes. They are a way to fight the pain of my past and the uncertainty of the future. I hope that through my pictures and the symbols I use I can show people what it is like to be a refugee. At the moment I am making a story book with illustrations about a sea crossing by a group of refugees. I also make short films. I started making videos in Afghanistan. Now I would like to make a documentary about the life of refugees.
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Ackn owle dge m en ts California State University, Stanislaus
Dr. Ellen Junn, President
Dr. Kimberly Greer, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. James A. Tuedio, Dean, College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Art
Dr. Carmen Robbin, Chair, Professor
Dean De Cocker, Professor
Martin Azevedo, Assistant Professor
Jacob Been, Lecturer
James Deitz, Lecturer
Daniel Edwards, Associate Professor
Jessica Gomula-Kruzic, Professor
Chad Hunter, Lecturer
David Olivant, Professor
Ellen Roehne, Lecturer
Dr. Staci Scheiwiller, Associate Professor
Susan Stephenson, Assistant Professor
Jake Weigel, Assistant Professor
Meg Broderick, Administrative Support Assistant II
Andrew Cain, Instructional Technician I
Jon Kithcart, Equipment Technician II
University Art Gallery
Dean De Cocker, Director
Nikki Boudreau, Gallery Assistant
School of the Arts
Brad Peatross, Graphic Specialist II
Asylum Seekers: Moria - The Drawings of Hamed Soltani June 8–29, 2018 | University Art Gallery California State University, Stanislaus | One University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382 300 copies printed. Copyright © 2018 California State University, Stanislaus • ISBN: 978-1-940753-34-8 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. This exhibition and catalog have been funded by Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities, California State University, Stanislaus.
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