Exhibition: Perilous Journeys: Reflections on Migration

An exhibition reflecting on the loss of people and culture through the lens of human trafficking and unsafe migration.

This display will focus, in part, on Edo State in Nigeria which has recorded an extremely high number of migrants. Many of these migrants have become the targets of trafficking gangs, some losing their lives while making journeys across the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea. As well as Nigeria, the exhibition will explore the response to migration on the American continent and consider how this relates to the experiences of migrants elsewhere in the world.

Enotie Ogbebor, a multi-disciplinary artist based in Benin City, has created a large-scale painting, inspired by contemporary migrations from Edo State, highlighting the personal tragedies involved in human trafficking.

Also on display is a recently-cast brass sculpture, drawing on iconic images popularly associated with Queen Mother Idia from the historic Kingdom of Benin. It also refers to the British military expedition against Benin City in 1897, the lives lost and the wider associated human tragedy, including the looting of objects from the royal palaces. This piece will draw attention to the consequent loss of cultural knowledge that Enotie, who is actively engaged in current debates around the repatriation of objects from the Kingdom of Benin, believes has contributed to the current migrant crisis being experienced in Edo State.

These pieces will be juxtaposed with a powerful work by Mexican artist Betsabeé Romero who frequently uses discarded bus tyres as her canvas. Elevated through carved and gilded figures that reflect on controversial responses to migration on the American continent, this installation aims to represent the humanity and dignity of migrants globally.

The exhibition is in Room 3 - which is on the right-hand side right by the main entrance as you walk into the museum.