Light in the Darkness exhibition


Light in the Darkness exhibition

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
53 New Walk
Leicester LE1 7EA

This installation in the German Expressionism Gallery at Leicester Museum by George Sfougaras is a response to the fragments of the  triptych 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' by Johannes Matthaeus Koelz. The Koelz triptych, which had to be cut up and hidden from the Nazi regime, was smuggled out of Germany in 1937 and donated to the museum by the artist's daughter.

'Light in the Darkness' remembers the plight of all refugees, past and present, and symbolises the fragility of life and the power of hope. Photographs show displaced people, many of whom who lost their lives. The soundscape replays voices as echoes from the past, and the tents are the very same as those used by the United Nations in refugee camps across the globe. The photographs appear and fade as a searchlight casts them into sharp relief against the flimsy tent fabric. The revolving light illuminates the way to a better, more just tomorrow.

George Sfougaras was born in Greece to parents who were refugees from Asia Minor and who subsequently came to the UK during the 1970s military Junta period. These narratives form the cornerstone of his work. concerned with the way people’s lives are affected by history and how national symbols, myths and rhetoric shape identity.  Among the photographs in this installation are people African, Jewish, Armenian and Greek people from Turkey like his own family.

Please note that timed tickets are required to visit Leicester Museum & Art Gallery.

https://www.leicestermuseums.org/news/light-in-the-darkness/