Bangkok th th 6 -18 february 2018
BANGKOK 25 articles
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days of exhibition
photographs
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Panel discussions
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SUMMARY EXODUS DÉJÀ VU, THE PROJECT 4
THE PROJECT IN Bangkok (6th-18th february 2018)
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PRESENTATION 6 EXHIBITION PROGRAM - ITINERARY 7
GALLERY bangkok 8 exhibition at bacc 9 opening ceremony (6th february) 10 Panel discussion (7th & 10th february) 11 talk & debate at thammasat university (9th february) 12 Panel discussion with asylum access thailand (15th February 2018) 13 PRESS ARTICLES AND MEDIA 14 Press review 15 Television coverage 16 published articles 17 MORE THAN 20 ONLINE MEDIA ARTICLES 18 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 30 3 - Exodus Déjà-Vu
EXODUS DÉJÀ-VU, THE PROJECT After six years of war, we take stock of the sad situation in Syria. The facts are horrendous yet edifying: more than 260 000 civilians killed, 8 millions are displaced within the country, 4 mil- lions of refugees scattered around the world. To make it short, one Syrian out of two has left his home. The tragedy in Syria is reminiscent of the refugee crisis that has marked the past as it did in Cambodia in the 1970’s, and more recently in Myanmar. This alarming observation makes us question the reasons that caused this outburst of violence and strikingly reminds us how history is tragically repeating itself. Do we have the right to ignore, even to cause, civilian suffering for the sake of government interests and geopolitical strategies? For how long will we dissociate ourselves from this deepening humanitarian tragedy? With proven experience in art expertise and management, Visioncy would like to introduce Exodus Déjà-Vu, a NON-PROFIT touring photography exhibition that will be organized around three main axis:
AN EXHIBITION - A TALK - A BOOK Our desire is to create an interactive event by using powerful images that bear witness to/of the grim reality. With photography as a medium, the exhibition documents the war and the people fleeing, building a consensus by interconnecting people speaking different languages, living different lives but sharing the same “human rights». Visioncy showcases seven photojournalists and photographers who have closely followed and captured the perilous journey of refugees throughout time. Two generations of the same profession are united under the theme of refugees, each of them bringing their own masterpieces: Coskun Aral (TUR), Issa Touma (SY), Roland Neveu (FR), Sergey Ponomarev (RU), Rahman Roslan (MY), Suthep Kritsanavarin (TUR) and Greg Constantine (CA) Exodus-Déjà Vu aims to create a better understanding of the refugees and displaced people, an undeniable fact after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, for all the world to see. Refugee crisis has now become a global issue. The despair and fear of death caused millions to flee for the sake of safety, but facing catastrophic consequences. Together with our team of photographers, we unveil and put forward the reality of millions of refugees by telling their poignant stories in Exodus Déjà-Vu.
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Road map
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THE PROJECT IN Bangkok (6th-18th February 2018) The project Exodus Déjà-Vu focusing on the refugee crisis throughout the world took place in the form of an exhibition in Bangkok (Thailand) from the 6th to the 18th of February 2018 in BACC. The event was mainly supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the French Embassy in Thailand, Amnesty International and Asylum Access Thailand. The opening ceremony was open by Mr. Chatvichai Promadhattavedi (acting director of BACC) who pronounced a speech, followed by His Excellency Mr. Gilles Garachon (Ambassador of France in Thailand), Mr. Alistair Boulton (UNHCR’s Assistant Regional Representative for South-East Asia), Mr. Patrice Vallette (curator & director of Visioncy), and Mr. Suthep Kritsanavarin (photographer). A great number of officials and diplomats attended the event, as well as many journalists from Thai media and press, radios and TV channels. On the 7th of February, a large panel discussion was organized in BACC, with the four photographers Coskun Aral, Roland Neveu, Suthep Kritsanavarin and Rahman Roslan. Thanks to the moderation of UNHCR’s representative Ms. Vivian Tan, the photographers had the opportunity to share their experiences on the refugee crisis. Being involved in a refugee movement or living in a war zone, they shared their views on many important issues: how to convey the experience and emotion of refugees in a photograph, how to witness and picture forced displacement, how to use photography as a tool to reflect human stories, how to capture powerful moments to create empathy. The discussion was very enlightening for a great number of people, and especially the students who had the opportunity to attend the event. Two days later, on the 9th of February, a panel discussion was organised at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Thammasat University. More than 80 students had the opportunity to debate with the photographers Roland Neveu and Suthep Kritsanavarin, and lecturer Karntachat Raungratanaamporn. The works of the photographers were displayed in the background during the panel discussion in order to highlight their work and to show a preview of the exhibition. Two other events were organized at BACC on the 10th and 15th of February : a special encounter with the French photographer Roland Neveu, moderated by Thailand Human Rights specialist Puttanee Kangkun (Fortify Rights) ; and an exclusive debate held by Asylum Access Thailand - “Alternatives to Immigration Detention for Refugee Children in Thailand“. The exhibition was open to the public during thirteen days on the three main floors of BACC, with enthusiastic and high attendance throughout the week. The media exposure was unprecedented during the event, successfully communicating the concept of Exodus Déjà-Vu exhibition throughout the whole country. The project therefore gained the reputation of revealing the worldwide refugee crisis of yesterday and today.
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GALLERY BANGKOK
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exhibition at BACC (6th-18th february 2018)
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opening ceremony (6th february 2018)
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panel discussion (7th & 10th february 2018)
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talk & debate at thammasat university (9th february 2018)
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panel discussion with asylum access thailand (15th february 2018)
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PRESS ARTICLES & MEDIA
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PRESS REVIEW The Exodus Deja-vu Photography Exhibition was held at BACC, Bangkok, between 6-18 February 2018 under the supervision of Visioncy, and with the support of UNHCR Thailand, the French Embassy in Thailand, Amnesty International Thailand and Asylum Access Thailand. After the launch of the Exodus Déjà-Vu photography exhibition on the 6th of February with the participation of the media and guests from different background, a panel discussion was organized at BACC on the 7th of February 2018 with the moderation of Ms. Vivian Tan,UNHCR Senior Regional Communications Officer for South-East Asia,and with the participation of well-known photographers Mr. Coşkun Aral, Mr. Suthep Kritsanavarin, Mr. Roland Neveu and Mr. Rahman Roslan whose photographs are on exhibition.
All of the events during the week, opening ceremony of the exhibition and the four panel discussion, were covered by mainstream news agencies in Thailand, such as True Vision TV, The Nation and the Bangkok Post. Some 20 media articles were published online. In addition, Mr. Patrice Vallette gave exclusive interviews to The Nation, the Bangkok Post and True Vision TV ; the newspaper The Nation also interviewed the photographers Rolan Neveu, Rahman Roslan, Suthep Kritsanavarin and Coskun Aral.
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TELEVISION COVERAGE
True Vision TV - Interview of Patrice Vallette (February 6 2018)
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PUBLISHED ARTICLES The Nation - February 7, 2018 “Images of suffering : Touring exhibition depicts troubled lives of refugees in various cultures“
Bangkok Post - January 25, 2018 “An exploration of the global refugee crisis“
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ONLINE MEDIA Khao Sod English - January 16, 2018 “Photogs Portray Powerful Plight of Refugees at ‘Exodus’ Exhibit”
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2018/01/16/photogs-portray-powerful-plight-refugees-exodus-exhibit/
BANGKOK — Having closely followed refugees as they fled wars and taking on perilous voyages, eight photographers will show the powerful images they captured at a Bangkok exhibition. Having displayed in Kuala Lumpur, Ankara and Istanbul; Exodus – Deja Vu will travel next to Bangkok, where it will show stills depicting refugees’ daily lives as they flee the threat of war and persecution. The photo exhibition will feature shots by eight photographers including Aleppobased Issa Touma, French photojournalist Roland Neveu, Turkish correspondent Coskun Aral and Thai photojournalist Suthep Kritsanavarin, who worked on an investigative report about Rohingyas since 2008. The latter three will be present at the exhibition’s opening ceremony on Feb. 6. The exhibition will run through Feb. 18 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. It can be reached via skywalk through BTS National Stadium. More details on talks and a book launch is available online. After Bangkok, the exhibition will move to Berlin, Munich, Paris, Geneva and Toronto.
The Nation - February 4, 2018 “Life without a country” http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/art/30337920 The photo exhibition “‘Exodus Deja-Vu” focusing on the refugee crisis throughout the world comes to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre from Tuesday (February 6) to February 18, showcasing the works of seven photojournalists and photographers who have closely followed and captured the perilous journey of those forced to flee their homes. Supported by the UNHCR, the Embassy of France in Thailand, the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Asylum Access Thailand, and Amnesty Thailand, the exhibition documents the wars and the people fleeing and builds a consensus by interconnecting people speaking different languages, living different lives but sharing the same human rights.
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Each photographer brings his and her own knowledge of the events. Visioncy introduces the work of two generations of reporters, united under the theme of refugees: Coskun Aral (Turkey), Suthep Kritsanavarin (Thailand), Issa Touma (Syria), Roland Neveu (France), Sergey Ponomarev (Russia), Rahman Roslan (Malaysia), and Greg Constantine (Canada). The exhibition also features a guided visit with the curator and Visioncy director Patrice Vallette plus panel discussions with Aral, Neveu, Suthep and Roslan. Activities with refugees will also be organized by Amnesty International Thailand allowing the public to encounter and engage with several groups of refugees expressing their situation and sufferings through drawings or henna during the duration of the exhibition. Find out more at www.Bacc.or.th.
Bangkok Post - February 6, 2018 “Capturing the refugee crisis on camera” https://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/art/1408298/capturing-the-refugee-crisis-on-camera Currently, there are 65 million people around the world who have been forcibly uprooted from their homes due to war, persecution and conflict. Twenty- one million of them are refugees, and half of them are children. We see stories about them daily, saturated in the news to the point that we’ve started to become numb. In the hope of waking us up again, «Exodus Déjà-Vu», the non-profit photography exhibition which has been travelling around the world, will be making a pit-stop in Bangkok, launching today at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) at 6.30pm. Showcasing on the 3rd-5th floors until Feb 18, before moving off to Berlin, the exhibition will display powerful works by seven photojournalists who have closely followed and captured the daily lives and tribulations of the downtrodden. The photographs of Coskun Aral (Turkey), Roland Neveu (France), Issa Touma (Syria), Greg Constantine (Canada), Suthep Kritsanavarin (Thailand), Rahman Roslan (Myanmar) and Sergey Ponomarev (Russia) aim to offer a greater, more nuanced understanding of the current situation, and erase the common misconceptions about the crisis around the world. Get a chance to meet and talk to Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral, Suthep Kritsanavarin and Rahman Roslan, in guided talks, panel discussions, conferences and special encounters organised by UNHCR and Thammasat University. There will also be activities by Amnesty International, including drawing and henna with youth refugees in order for visitors to interact, engage and understand what they have been going through. An accompanying book will also be launched, with more details to be announced at a later date.
Pricett - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok”
https://th.pricett.com/a/exodus-deja-vu-arrives-in-bangkok/17530161 งคาร, 06. มภา น 2018, ประเทศไทย, Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok Exodus Déjà-Vu, the photography exhibition travelling around the world to showcase the work of eight photojournalists who closely followed and captured the refugee crisis, is nally coming to Bangkok, Thailand. You are kindly invited to the opening ceremony on the 6th of February at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center (BACC) to discover the exhibition and meet with the photographers Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral and Suthep Kritsanavarin. Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok.
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Evensi - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok”
https://www.evensi.com/exodus-ea-arrives-bangkok-bacc-หอศลปวฒนธรรมแหงกรงเทพมหานคร/241803577
EXODUS DÉJÀ-VU, THE PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD TO SHOWCASE THE WORK EIGHT PHOTOJOURNALISTS WHO CLOSELY FOLLOWED AND CAPTURED THE REFUGEE CRISIS, IS FINALLY COMING BANGKOK, THAILAND. You are kindly invited to the opening ceremony on the 6th of February at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center (BACC) to discover the exhibition a meet with the photographers Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral and Suthep Kritsanavarin.
Allevents - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok” https://allevents.in/org/exodus-deja-vu/9822596 Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok [ภาษาไทย าน าง] Exodus Déjà-Vu, the photography exhibition travelling around the world to showcase the work of eight photojournalists who closely followed and captured the refugee crisis, is nally coming to Bangkok, Thailand. You are kindly invited to the opening ceremony on the 6th of February at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center (BACC) to discover the exhibition and meet with the photographers Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral and Suthep Kritsanavarin. ขอเ ยนเ ญ อ าวและ สนใจ วม าวและ วมงานเ ด ว ทรรศการภาพ าย ญจร Exodus Déjà-Vu ใน น 6 มภา น 2561 เวลา 18.00 น. ณ หอ ลป ฒนธรรมแ งก งเทพมหานคร Exodus Déjà-Vu อ ทรรศการ งสะ อนและฉายภาพ กฤต ย วโลก ง หนดการ ดแสดง ก งเทพฯ ระห าง น 6 ง 18 มภา น 2561 ณ หอ ลป ฒนธรรมก งเทพ มหานคร จกรรม งก าว ด นโดย Visioncy และไ บการส บส นจาก UNHCR, สถาน ตฝ งเศสประ ประเทศไทย, หอ ลป ฒนธรรมก งเทพมหานคร, Asylum Access Thailand และ Amnesty International Thailand.
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The Edge Gallery - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu” http://theedgegalerie.com/happening/exodus-deja-vu Exodus Deja Vu is the title of a group photography exhibition featuring seven photojournalists and photographers, namely; Coskun Aral, Suthep Kritsanavarin, Issa Touma, Roland Neveu, Sergey Ponomarev, Rahman Roslan and Greg Constantine. The works in this exhibition are said to document the harsh lives of refugees from warring countries. According to a press release by the centre, the photographs build common ground amongst people speaking different languages and living different lives. Activities related to the exhibition include a guided tour by the curator, Patrice Vallette (Director of Visioncy), panel discussions with participating photographers, as well as henna and drawing sessions with refugees, organised by Amnesty International Thailand. Exodus Déjà-Vu is supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Thailand Embassy of France, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Asylum Access Thailand and Amnesty Thailand. The opening ceremony on Feb 6 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm is by invitation only.
Zipevent - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok”
https://www.zipeventapp.com/e/exodus-d-j-vu-arrives-in-bangkok Exodus Déjà-Vu, the photography exhibition travelling around the world to showcase the work of eight photojournalists who closely followed and captured the refugee crisis, is finally coming to Bangkok, Thailand. You are kindly invited to the opening ceremony on the 6th of February at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center (BACC) to discover the exhibition and meet with the photographers Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral, Suthep Kritsanavarin and Rahman Roslan. OPENING SPEECHES BY: - His Excellency Mr. Gilles Garachon (Ambassador of France in Thailand) - Mr. Alistair Boulton (UNHCR’s Assistant Regional Representative for South-East Asia) - Mr. Patrice Vallette (Visioncy Director & Curator) - Mr. Suthep Kritsanavarin (photographer) SPECIAL ACTIVITIES by Amnesty International Thailand : - Drawing : a group of refugees will have the opportunity to express their situation in Thailand through drawings, while sharing their experiences with the public. - Henna : youth refugees will draw Henna for visitors who want to interact and engage with them during the visit of the exhibition. Contact: https://www.facebook.com/1947223565318153
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Eventbu - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok”
https://th.eventbu.com/bangkok/exodus-deja-vu-arrives-in-bangkok/9013771
06. มภา น 2018 - 17:00 จน ง 20:00 Bacc หอ ลป ฒนธรรมแ งก งเทพมหานคร, Bangkok (https://th.eventbu.com/place/bacc/10569) Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok | Bacc หอ ลป ฒนธรรมแ งก งเทพมหานคร | งคาร, 06. มภา น 2018 Exodus Déjà-Vu, the photography exhibition travelling around the world to showcase the work of eight photojournalists who closely followed and captured the refugee crisis, is nally coming to Bangkok, Thailand. You are kindly invited to the opening ceremony on the 6th of February at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center (BACC) to discover the exhibition and meet with the photographers Roland Neveu, Coskun Aral and Suthep Kritsanavarin. ความ ดเ น งไ ความ ดเ น. Bacc หอ ลป ฒนธรรมแ งก งเทพมหานคร (https://th.eventbu.com/place/bacc/10569) Bangkok (/bangkok) Portfolio Network - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok” http://www.portfolios.net/events/exodus-deja-vu-in-bangkok นิทรรศการภาพถ่ายการเดินทาง Exodus-Déjà Vu in Bangkok วันที่ : 06 กุมภาพันธ์ - 18 กุมภาพันธ์ 2561 สถานที่: ผนังโค้ง ชั้น 3-5 จัดโดย UNHCR, หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร, สถานทูตฝรั่งเศสประจำ�ประเทศไทย Director, Curator: Mr. Patrice Vallette Project Coordinators: Ms. Camille Caillet , Mrs. Lorena Aguilera Haas, Mrs. Müge Aral พิธีเปิดนิทรรศการ 6 กุมภาพันธ์ 2561 เวลา 18.30 น. “Exodus-Déjà Vu” นิทรรศการภาพถ่ายการเดินทาง กิจกรรมการอภิปรายการร่วมพูดคุยและการประชุมเชิงปฏิบัติการโดยมีจุดประสงค์หลักคือ ต้องการสร้างให้เกิดปฏิสัมพันธ์ระหว่างผู้คนกับนิทรรศการ โดยใช้ภาพถ่ายเป็นตัวสะท้อนให้เห็นถึงความเป็นจริงที่น่ากลัวของวิกฤติผู้ลี้ภัย ซึ่งถือ ได้ว่าเป็นปัญหาระดับโลกในขณะนี้ และนี่จึงเป็นเหตุผลที่ Exodus-Déjà Vu มีความตั้งใจและมุ่งมั่นที่จะสร้างความเข้าใจที่ดีขึ้นเกี่ยวกับผู้ลี้ภัย และผู้อพยพ ช่างภาพประจำ�สำ�นักข่าวและช่างภาพอื่นๆ จำ�นวนทั้งเจ็ดคน เฝ้าติดตามการเดินทางที่แสนอันตรายของผู้ลี้ภัย,สงครามและผู้คนที่หลบหนีได้ สร้างฉันทามติ โดยการเชื่อมต่อผู้คนต่างชาติต่างภาษาให้อยู่ภายใต้การมีส่วนร่วมของ “สิทธิมนุษยชน” เดียวกัน ช่างภาพทั้ง 7 ท่าน ได้แก่ Coskun Aral (TUR), SuthepKritsanavarin (THA), IssaTouma (SY), Roland Neveu (FR), Sergey Ponomarev (RU), RahmanRoslan (MY), and Greg Constantine (CA). สามารถดูตารางกิจกรรมเสวนาได้ที่ www.facebook.com/exodus.dejavu www.exodus-dejavu.com
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Portfolio Network - February 6, 2018 “Exodus Déjà-Vu arrives in Bangkok” http://www.bacc.or.th/event/1899.html นิทรรศการภาพถ่ายการเดินทาง Exodus-Déjà Vu in Bangkok วันที่ : 06 กุมภาพันธ์ - 18 กุมภาพันธ์ 2561 สถานที่: ผนังโค้ง ชั้น 3-5 จัดโดย UNHCR, หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร, สถานทูตฝรั่งเศสประจำ�ประเทศไทย Director, Curator: Mr. Patrice Vallette Project Coordinators: Ms. Camille Caillet , Mrs. Lorena Aguilera Haas, Mrs. Müge Aral พิธีเปิดนิทรรศการ 6 กุมภาพันธ์ 2561 เวลา 18.30 น. “Exodus-Déjà Vu” นิทรรศการภาพถ่ายการเดินทาง กิจกรรมการอภิปรายการร่วมพูดคุยและการประชุมเชิงปฏิบัติการโดยมีจุดประสงค์หลักคือ ต้องการสร้างให้เกิดปฏิสัมพันธ์ระหว่างผู้คนกับนิทรรศการ โดยใช้ภาพถ่ายเป็นตัวสะท้อนให้เห็นถึงความเป็นจริงที่น่ากลัวของวิกฤติผู้ลี้ภัย ซึ่งถือ ได้ว่าเป็นปัญหาระดับโลกในขณะนี้ และนี่จึงเป็นเหตุผลที่ Exodus-Déjà Vu มีความตั้งใจและมุ่งมั่นที่จะสร้างความเข้าใจที่ดีขึ้นเกี่ยวกับผู้ลี้ภัย และผู้อพยพ ช่างภาพประจำ�สำ�นักข่าวและช่างภาพอื่นๆ จำ�นวนทั้งเจ็ดคน เฝ้าติดตามการเดินทางที่แสนอันตรายของผู้ลี้ภัย,สงครามและผู้คนที่หลบหนีได้ สร้างฉันทามติ โดยการเชื่อมต่อผู้คนต่างชาติต่างภาษาให้อยู่ภายใต้การมีส่วนร่วมของ “สิทธิมนุษยชน” เดียวกัน ช่างภาพทั้ง 7 ท่าน ได้แก่ Coskun Aral (TUR), Suthep Kritsanavarin (THA), Issa Touma (SY), Roland Neveu (FR), Sergey Ponomarev (RU), Rahman Roslan (MY), and Greg Constantine (CA). Haberci - February 6, 2018 “Coşkun Aral’ın Mülteci Dramına Dikkat Çeken Projesi «Exodus Deja Vu» Bangkok’ta!” http://haberci.com/tag/exodus-deja-vu-bangkok/ Mülteci dramına dikkat çekmek amacıyla dünyanın önemli merkezlerinde çok sayıda ziyaretçiyle buluşan, küresel medya tarafından ilgi gören Exodus Déjà Vu projesi şimdi Bangkok’ta kapılarını açıyor. Coşkun Aral’ın yanı sıra dünyaca ünlü fotoğrafçı ve fotomuhabirler Roland Neveu, Suthep Kritsanavarin, Rahman Roslan, Greg Constantine, Issa Touma ve Sergey Pnomarev’in de savaşa ve mülteciliğe dair çarpıcı kareleriyle yer aldıkları sergi, 6-18 Şubat 2018 tarihleri arasında Bangkok’ta kapılarını açacak. Yakın geçmişte dünyanın farklı coğraflayalarında yaşanan savaş ve göçün tanıklıklarını aktaran fotoğrafların yer aldığı sergi kapsamında 7 Şubat günü bir panel de gerçekleştirilecek. Birleşmiş Milletler Mülteciler Yüksek Komiserliği (UNHCR) Güney Afrika Bölgesel Ofisi Kıdemli İletişim Görevlisi Vivian Tan’ın moderatörlüğünde Coşkun Aral, Roland Neveu, Rahman Roslan ve Suthep Kritsanavarin bir araya gelecekler.
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Haberci - February 8, 2018 “Foto Galeri | Exodus Deja Vu Sergisi Bangkok’ta Kapılarını Açtı” http://haberci.com/2018/02/15/exodus-deja-vu-sergisi-bangkokta-kapilarini-acti/ Mülteci dramına dikkat çekmek amacıyla dünyanın önemli merkezlerinde çok sayıda ziyaretçiyle buluşan, küresel medya tarafından ilgi gören Exodus Déjà Vu projesi şimdi Bangkok’ta kapılarını açtı. Coşkun Aral’ın yanı sıra dünyaca ünlü fotoğrafçı ve fotomuhabirler Roland Neveu, Suthep Kritsanavarin, Rahman Roslan, Greg Constantine, Issa Touma ve Sergey Pnomarev’in de savaşa ve mülteciliğe dair çarpıcı kareleriyle yer aldıkları sergi, 18 Şubat 2018 tarihleri arasında Bangkok’ta konuklarını ağırlayacak.
The Nation - February 12, 2018 “Nowhere to turn” http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30338441 The millions of people who have fled Myanmar and Syria in fear of violence are the subjects of a poignant and powerful photo exhibition in Bangkok. The stirring plight of refugees across the globe – the Rohingya of Myanmar, the tens of thousands displaced by wars in Syria and Cambodia – is movingly documented in the photography exhibition “Exodus Deja Vu” at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Displayed on the curving walls on the third to fifth floors are 77 images of people dislocated from their lives and homes in Syria, Bangladesh, Cambodia and other places, forced to cross borders into foreign lands and eke out dire existences in temporary camps that all too often become permanent.
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The images are the work of seven photojournalists of various nationalities, who bear witness to unfolding tragedies in a world increasingly given to nationalism and wary of foreigners. “The touring exhibition aims to raises awareness about the current crises involving refugees around the globe,” says curator Patrice Vallette. “We hope these powerful images will speak loudly about this serious humanitarian issue.” Conflict and persecution have forcibly displaced more than 65 million people around the world, it’s noted in the exhibition, and nearly half of them are children. “The tragedy touching Syria now is reminiscent of refugee crises of the past, such as in Cambodia in the 1970s and more recently in Myanmar,” Vallette says. Canadian Greg Constantine and Thailand’s Suthep Kritsanavarin focused on the calamity of the Muslim Rohingya, producing anguished black-and-white photos of the “nowhere people” being treated as beings less than human.
Constantine captured the waves of Rohingya refugees feeling from Myanmar into Bangladesh last year, a massive volume of people forced into lives of desperation in jam-packed camps, fearful of returning to the threat of torture, rape and death at the hands of the Myanmar military and anti- Muslim vigilante groups. “My years of photographing the Rohingya [since 2006],” Constantine says in the show’s catalogue, “still represent only a small window and a slice of time within decades of similar abuse. “With nearly 75 per cent of the Rohingya community pushed out of their homeland, I am reminded of something a Rohingya man named Jafar said to me in Bangladesh back in 2009. [He said,] ‘Because we don’t have citizenship, we are like a fish out of water, flapping and unable to breathe. If we were given citizenship in Burma, we would be like that fish you catch and then throw back into the water, where he belongs. We are still out of water, and when a fish is out of water, he suffocates to death. We have been out of water for such a long time and we are suffocating. We are suffocating to death.’ “Sadly, his words are more relevant now as they were years ago.”
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Suthep has been watching the Rohingya since 2008, often using a drone camera to capture overviews of the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where most of the refugees lived, and at Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, where most are now encamped. He’s also shot imagery of the far less-publicised Rohingya camps in Aceh, Indonesia, and Thailand’s Ranong province. One aerial shot taken in Cox’s Bazaar offers a glimpse of what has become the largest refugee camp in the world, with more than 700 000 people enduring harsh living conditions and near-starvation. In Ranong in 2009, Suthep took pictures of Rohingya men showing the scars of brutal beatings inflicted by Burmese navy officials after the boat they trusted to carry them to better lives was stopped in the Andaman Sea. They spent two weeks in detention before being sent back to sea, bound for Thailand, with the warning that they’d be killed if they returned to Myanmar. UNCHR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, says there were 99,956 refugees in nine camps in Thailand as of December, most from ethnic-minority communities in Myanmar and mainly Karen and Karenni. Harassed and endangered in their homeland, they’ve been crossing the border for more than 30 years, and thousands of babies born in the camps in four provinces along the frontier have grown into adulthood there, having never seen their country of origin. “The Rohingya crisis is the most serious issue in Southeast Asia, with nearly 700,000 refugees having flocked to Bangladesh in the last four months, joining 300,000 others already there,” says Alistair Boulton of UNHCR. “There are now nearly a million Rohingya living temporarily in Bangladesh. It’s the worst situation in the region and the fastest rise in a refugee population since the 1990s.”
Syrian photographer Issa Touma was already shooting street life in Aleppo before the current momentous multinational conflict began. It’s his hometown. People seemed lively and cheerful in his pre-2012 images, but the war has virtually emptied the city. The buildings that remain standing are pockmarked with bullet holes. The fighting has greatly affected the younger generation, with kids fond of “playing soldier” – when not sitting sullen and sad. Malaysian Rahman Roslan pointed his camera at Syrian refugees in the Idomeni camps in Greece in 2016, where they’d been sheltered for months after Macedonia closed its border, barring migration further into Europe. 26 - Exodus Déjà-Vu
Russian Sergey Ponomarev watched the great northerly exodus across the Mediterranean in 2015. His pictures were taken on the Greek island of Lesbos and on the boundary lines separating Croatia from Slovenia and Hungary from Serbia. Some of the shots show bloodied refugees attempting to dash across the frontiers. Frenchman Roland Neveu’s award-winning series “Years of Darkness”, about the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge, has been seen before in Thailand. The guerrilla triumph drove tens of thousands of Cambodians to the Thai border. “I never imagined then that the events of 1975 would come to be labelled as ‘the Asian Holocaust of our time’,” Neveu writes in the catalogue. Coskun Aral, a Turk, was in Iraq in 1991, when streams of citizens fled to the slopes of snowy mountains to escape Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons and the “shock and awe” of Desert Storm. Their destination was Turkey. “Many lost their lives,” Aral says. “I saw mothers and fathers carrying the dead bodies of their children. “I hoped that I’d never witness such suffering again. Yet it’s 2016 and the suffering has never ended. The deja-vu of exodus remains the same, every now and then.” Supported by UNHCR, the French Embassy, Asylum Access Thailand and Amnesty International Thailand, the exhibition seeks to create “a unified picture of people speaking different languages and leading different lives, but sharing the same human rights”. The exhibition on the fifth floor also displays the belongings of refugees from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Somalia and Palestine who immigrated to Thailand. Piyanut Kotsan of Amnesty International Thailand acknowledges that Thais tend not to be “fond of helping refugees” and blames it on a lack of understanding. “So we’re also doing public activities, both online and offline, to encourage more conversation about refugees and why they need our support.” THE PEOPLE MOST IN NEED - The exhibition “Exodus Deja-Vu” at the Bangkok Art and Culture ends on Sunday. It travels next to Berlin, Munich, Paris, Geneva and Toronto. - Asylum Access Thailand will host a discussion on “Alternative Living for Immigrant Children” on Thursday at 6pm on the fifth floor. - Learn more on its Facebook page, and about the exhibition at “Exodus Deja-Vu” on Facebook and at www.BACC.co.th. 27 - Exodus Déjà-Vu
Bangkok Post - February 15, 2018 “The nightmare continues” https://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/art/1412482/the-nightmare-continues ‘Exodus Déjà Vu» lives up to its name. The photographs, displayed over three floors at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, have a strange, fleeting familiarity, bringing to mind memories of current and past events like transient flashes. «We may feel as though we are flooded with images of conflicts, of refugees, in our everyday lives - but in reality, we know little of what’s going on out there» says Patrice Valette, the show’s curator and co-ordinator of the global Exodus project, a travelling exhibition that focuses on the flight and plight of refugees on several continents. Comprising the works of seven photographers of different nationalities and cultures, Exodus Déjà Vu is unique in its refusal to approach the theme from a strictly news perspective, instead allowing viewers to gain more of an overview of the situation. Photographs taken as recently as 2017 and depicting Syrian refugees attempting to reach Europe meet those dating back to the 1980s and 90s, of Cambodian refugees at the Thai border or Kurds fleeing the threat of chemical warfare in the Middle East. There’s no doubt that forced migratory movements take place on all continents and have always existed, says Valette. However, through this exhibition, he attempts to reach out to the public and raise awareness about humanitarian crises. With more than 65 million forcibly displaced people in the world right now, the refugee crisis is sadly becoming no more than a recurring topic that’s part of one’s routine, Valette notes. While people have become more informed of the global situation, there is a numbness that accompanies the overflow of information and images. «And that’s really dangerous,» he adds. In the past 18 months, the Kuala Lumpur-based gallery owner has organised presentations of the images and talks with the different photographers in cities across the world in an attempt to raise awareness and break the status quo. Five to seven photographers were attached to the project from its onset, touring cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Ankara, Istanbul and now Bangkok to tell the public of their experiences covering wars and humanitarian crises in the past decades. Exodus Déjà Vu was born when Valette initially thought of exhibiting Turkish photographer Coskun Aral’s photographs of Kurd and Iraqi families fleeing from Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons threat in the early 1990s, images that were later integrated into the current show. At the time, the Syrian refugee crisis reached what seemed like its peak and parallels between past and present events started to be drawn. Aral then introduced Valette to French photographer Roland Neveu, whose coverage of the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975 and subsequent mass exodus of Cambodian refugees to neighbouring countries marked a generation of photojournalists. «The conception of the exhibition was one chance meeting after another, although I had this idea of a global exhibition from the very beginning,» Valette says. When Sergey Ponomarev - winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his images of Syrian refugees moving across the Balkan countries - and renowned American-Canadian photographer Greg Constantine embarked on the project, the curator knew he had to gain the support of international organisations such as the United Nations’ Refugee Agency and Amnesty International in order to have a maximal impact. Thai photographer Suthep Kritsanavarin became attached to the Exodus project last year, and has exhibited alongside the six other photographers in Istanbul and Bangkok. His ongoing research and coverage of the Rohingya refugee crisis in Southeast Asia and Australia dates back to 2008, when he travelled to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where one of the largest Rohingya refugees camp is located. It was Suthep’s project-based approach to the topic that seduced Valette and convinced him to seek the photographer’s participation. Unlike many photojournalists covering news events, Suthep was following the Rohingya refugees for nearly a decade and became an expert on this topic, he says.
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On the other hand, Suthep adds that he was glad to have found an exhibition format that resembles a platform hosting photography works but also panel discussions, allowing for experiences to be exchanged. «In today’s media landscape, news comes and goes at a frightening pace, but there is little opportunity to engage with the public.» The Thai photographer’s work takes viewers from Myanmar’s Yangon and Sittwe, where Rohingya communities are persecuted, to Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and further to Australia. «I’ve had the idea of following the refugees across the countries since the onset. This way, one can really see they truly have nowhere to go,» he explains. The exhibition, contrasting in tones, subjects and viewpoints, also joins two generations of photographers, an homage to workers of the same trade. «If images tell a thousand words, then how would we know these stories if it weren’t for the photographers who bring their work back?» Suthep asks. For Valette, the display of photographs of conflict and humanitarian crisis is perhaps the best cure against numbness and indifference in the face of these events. An image is a medium in itself, free of accompanying commentary that try to sway viewers on one side or the other. «It’s open for interpretation. Everyone can understand an image in their own way,» he notes. «When you look at a photograph, you first get emotions. But after looking at an entire exhibition, you begin to develop your own reflection on the subject.»
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Acknowledgement All our team at Visioncy would like to express its thankfulness to all our partners for their continuous support and trust in the project Exodus Déjà Vu. Special thanks to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the French Embassy in Thailand, the Bangkok Art & Culture Center, Asylum Access Thailand and Amnesty International Thailand.
Thank you to the team of Visioncy: Mr. Patrice Vallette Ms. Camille Caillet Mrs. Lorena Aguilera Mrs. Müge Aral
We also would like to extend our thankfulness to the photographers: Mr. Rahman Roslan Mr. Coskun Aral Mr. Roland Neveu Mr. Suthep Kritsanavarin Mr. Sergey Ponomarev Mr. Issa Touma Mr. Greg Constantine
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