On Exile

José Carlos Teixeira, (Madison, WI)

On View: August 18 - October 13, 2017
Opening Reception: August 18, 6PM - 9PM
On Exile is presented on a loop and continuously plays

Photo Catalogue

At the intersection of art and politics, On Exile is a video-essay that investigates the refugee experience, expanding on issues of migration, displacement, and otherness.
Concerned with the ethics of ethnographic encounter and representation, the artist asks: how to represent without patronizing or speaking on other's behalf? As opposed to a dominant discourse which denies refugees full agency, this participatory project attempts to listen and restore their voices. Through interviews with individuals and families from Middle Eastern and African Muslim communities settled in Cleveland, this experimental documentary develops intimate psychological portraits, embedding them in a political, historical and anthropological context. What are their stories and perspectives as immigrants in the US?
On Exile reframes assumptions of home and belonging, delves into the challenges of language and translation, and reflects on the complex adjustment to another culture by those who, forcibly displaced, seek safety.

"Every refugee, regardless of nationality, race or creed, points to the refugee within ourselves" (K. C. Cirtautas)

The project will travel to Lisbon (Portugal) this November, for a solo exhibition of the artist's work at MAAT, Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology.

Director of Photography: Nicholas Wynia
Production and Support: SPACES, MAAT, UW-Madison, and USCRI (United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants)m