REFUGEE NATION: Billboard Project with Yara Said
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21 MAR 2020 / 01 JAN 2021
The Refugee Nation is a nonprofit collective based in New York that promotes the protection of refugees and combats the discrimination they often face. In 2015 the organization conceived a symbolic nation representing the refugee population worldwide, currently numbering over 70 million. It commissioned Syrian artist Yara Said to create a national flag and Syrian musician Moutaz Arian to compose an anthem. The Refugee Nation was formally introduced to the world during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where ten refugee athletes competed under its flag and were announced by its anthem. Since then, the flag has been on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was acquired for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and in 2018 flew from the mast of a ship on the lead float in Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval parade.
Yara Said is a refugee who found asylum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her flag design was inspired by the life vests she and so many others have worn when crossing the sea. In Said’s words, “Black and orange is a symbol of solidarity with all these brave souls that had to wear life vests to cross the sea to look for safety in a new country. Since I had wear one, I have a personal engagement with these life vests, and these two colors.”
The Refugee Nation
The Refugee Nation is a nonprofit collective based in New York that promotes the protection of refugees and combats the discrimination they often face...LEARN MORE
Yara Said
Yara Said is an Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary artist whose work delves into the profound connections between sound, emotions, and visual aesthetic...