Purgatory is an installation exploring the state of stagnation experienced by refugees, who find themselves trapped, waiting, unable to move forward. The chosen objects highlight the problem of a severely constricted existence, with inadequate housing and poor living conditions.
Visitors were invited to scan the QR codes with their phones which redirected to online videos. The footage features excerpts taken from personally conducted interviews with refugees and asylum seekers, confessing their suffering of being left powerless, far from loved ones in an endless cycle of pain and rejection.

We are currently witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. According to the UNHR’s Statistics Database, an unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced from home, amongst which nearly 25.4 million are refugees.There are also an estimated 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement.
This project aims to highlight the growing problem of long-term refugee housing. As undocumented residents they don’t have voting or other basic rights and are unable to leave as it puts them at risk of deportation as illegal immigrants; they are effectively trapped.

These are their stories.