Live @ The Museum III: Artistic duo Icy & Sot address the reality of life for refugees between war and a new beginning

With their purpose-built work live in the URBAN NATION Museum, the artistic duo are once more making people aware of the fortunes of refugees and address the longing for a home.

The artistic duo Icy & Sot, natives of Iran, are known for addressing current political debates about war, peace, hope, despair, and in particular human rights in their works. In the current exhibition “UNique. UNited. UNstoppable.” at the URBAN NATION MUSEUM FOR URBAN CONTEMPORARY ART, they already have a work of art represented. After Laurence Vallières and Fanakapan had already taken part in the project “Live @ The Museum”, now Icy & Sot are also producing a work right in front of the museum visitors’ eyes, which will become a permanent feature of the exhibition from now on.

The inspiration for the high-rise block, which is intact on the left hand side, but destroyed by war on the right, arose from a derivation of the proverb “Home Sweet Home” and alludes to the current situation in Aleppo, Syria, where tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed since the beginning of the war in 2011.

“The refugees are leaving their homes because of the war, they are trying to escape the danger, they are leaving behind their relatives, they are migrating in order to lead a better life and to not be in danger. If they are lucky to survive the journey, they have to fight on in reception camps or behind barbed wire fences and wait to get a new home. They are often regarded as trespassers in the countries, in which they take refuge. As such, they unfortunately often experience even more anxiety and danger. The sculpture that we have built bears the title “Home” and depicts a half-destroyed building during the war. The damaged sides of the building stand for life and hope – a positive view of the “new home”, say the artistic duo.

The work is primarily built out of cardboard boxes, spray paint, wood and metal, shows a detailed insight into different flats in the building and conveys a feeling of home and the reality of life before the war thanks to the loving interior design with e.g. wallpapered walls and miniature furniture.

“We all need a home, in which we live, cook, eat, relax, shower, sleep, laugh, wake up, where memories can be formed. With this work, we wanted to express our hope that people who have lost their home due to war can soon find a new house and a place that they consider as a new home. But with this work, we also hope to encourage people to reflect and to promote communication between countries and cultures,” continue Icy & Sot.

About the artists

Find information about Icy & Sot here.