EXHIBITING LIVED EXPERIENCES
War and displacement continue to shape the lives of millions of people worldwide, yet these experiences are often reduced to statistics, politicized narratives, or erased from public discourseal together. By creating a platform for self-representation, Ethnographies of War: Stories of the Displaced centers the voices of artists whose lived experiences and family histories reflect displacement, survival, and resilience. Through ethical storytelling the project challenges harmful stereotypes while encouraging dialogue, reflection, empathy, and community connection.
Ethnographies of War:Stories of the Displaced
Our Focus
Ethnographies of War: Stories of the Displaced is a multidisciplinary art exhibition that centers the voices of artists whose lives or family histories have been shaped by war, forced migration, and displacement. Through painting, photography, textile art, sculpture, film, digital media, mixed media, etc. the exhibition creates space for lived experience, cultural history, and resilience to be shared on the artists’ own terms.
Guided by ethnographic principles, each art piece serves as a record of lived experience, cultural memory, or intergenerational impact, much like ethnographic fieldwork captures the social and historical context of a community. Rather than presenting displacement through statistics, political narratives, or headlines
At a time of increasing anti-immigration sentiment and widespread misunderstanding surrounding refugee experiences, Ethnographies of War seeks to foster empathy, reflection, and public dialogue through ethical storytelling and accessible exhibition-making. By centering lived experience, the project challenges stereotypes while creating space for deeper understanding of displacement as an ongoing human experience that continues across generations.
Share Your Story
Ethnographies of War: Stories of the Displaced invites artists whose lives or family histories have been shaped by war, forced migration, or displacement to share their experiences through art. Through painting, photography, textile art, sculpture, film, digital media, mixed media practices ect.
The project aims to foster public understanding, challenge harmful anti-immigration narratives, and encourage reflection, dialogue, and community connection through ethical and accessible exhibition-making.
Artists working across all mediums are welcome to apply. The exhibition is grounded in respect, cultural sensitivity, and ethical storytelling, and artists are encouraged to share only what they feel comfortable disclosing.
About us
Ethnographies of War: Stories of the Displaced is a research-informed exhibition project exploring war, forced migration, displacement, and intergenerations trauma through contemporary art.
Founded by a project lead whose background in Biological Anthropology and lived experience of having been born in a refugee camp during the Sudanese civil wars and later resettled in Canada, shape the exhibition’s curatorial approach. The project centres artists whose lives and family histories have been impacted by conflict, displacement, and survival. Guided by ethnographic principles, the exhibition approaches artworks as forms of cultural testimony/ visual records of lived experience, memory, identity, and resilience.
Through painting, photography, textile art, sculpture, film, digital media, mixed media practices, etc, he exhibition creates space for artists to represent their own stories on their own terms. Rather than reducing displacement to statistics or political narratives, the project invites audiences to engage with the human realities of migration, belonging, and cultural memory.
Accessibility, ethical storytelling, and community engagement are central to the project’s mission. Ethnographies of War prioritizes free public access, inclusive exhibition practices, and outreach to immigrant and refugee communities, while fostering dialogue, reflection, empathy, and connection through art.
The project is supported through the TakingITGlobal Sprout Ideas Fellowship and funded in part by the Canada Service Corps.
Contact Us
For inquiries, partnerships, or to collaborate on creating impactful art exhibitions, feel free to reach out to Ethnographies of War. We are dedicated to harnessing the power of art for positive social change.