Omar Imam - Space Refugee
Redefining the term refugee
What does it mean to be a refugee? Artist Omar Imam is searching for a new answer, one shaped by humour and imagination. Imagine seeing displaced individuals as superheroes. What would that superhero look like?
“I try to redefine the term refugee with a bit of satire and through my own perspective about what a refugee can do… like a superpower.”
In this video, Omar shares the story behind his gigantic sculpture Space Refugee (2019): a father and daughter on an intergalactic journey, riding a giant white skippybal, joined by a purple lollipop as sidekick. The sculpture stands 3.4 metres tall and weighs 400 kilos.
The superhero is a symbol of the hope his daughter gave him during their flight. “Being on this skippybal and just moving around time and space with my daughter can be home for me.” Home in this world is not connected to a place. Home is where you can live with your loved ones.
What does home mean to you? Is it a place? Or a person?
All Directions
This artwork is part of the exhibition All Directions. In this exhibition you discover more about identity and happiness, about crossing borders and being forced to flee, about saying goodbye and coming home. Read more about All Directions.
