"I am not just here to make you cry" - unexpected challenges to the artistic freedom of refugee artists

Abstract

How much artistic freedom does a refugee artist have in the West? The contribution proposes to rethink and expand the threats to artistic expression beyond the juridical and ideological through the stories of two artists: Syrian sculptor and painter Rasha Deeb and Iraqi-Kurdish painter Samir Khurshid.

For any artist, it is a matter of luck and talent whether they will be able to have enough time to work, and enough money to get the supplies they need. However, refugee artists have to contend with much steeper road to artistic expression. The contribution draws on original interviews, as well as other primary research, including contracts, newspaper reports and other relevant documents. Ultimately, the contribution will explore how unexpected, and sometimes very subtle, impediments can fundamentally hamper an artist's practice