AN ART show will highlight the difficulties Ukrainian refugees face in making a home with host families.
Like Home, a photography exhibition, depicts the struggle of migrants who have settled in the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme following the Russian invasion.
The project, a collaboration between Italian photographer Linda Scuizzato and curator Anna Fraser, aims to raise awareness of the issues and put more refugees in contact with prospective host families.
Linda said: “I was trying to talk about this struggle and about their new homes. They are something good but at the same time the refugees told me that it was nice but they still miss home.
“They have family in Ukraine who couldn’t find their way over and it’s important to underline that too.
“This is an ongoing project so I hope more people will come out to tell their stories.”
The photographs, which will be on display at The Unity Centre in Lewes as part of the Artwave festival, show Ukrainian migrants who have settled in the Sussex area as well as their host families.
Each series of “intimate and powerful” images aims to illustrate how refugees are trying to make unfamiliar surroundings feel like home while still missing their own country.
Organisers of the show also wish to highlight the “hosting gap” in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. They say hundreds of host families have not been able to match with refugee families due to a lack of communication.
Anna Fraser, who curates the event, said: “Hundreds of families, young people, mothers and children are still waiting for hosts in the UK. From people living in areas under attack in the east to people in the UK displaced again when their sponsors can’t continue to host them.
“Many British families signed up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme but, not knowing how to match with Ukrainians, have waited unmatched or dropped their offer.”
Like Home will be open at The Unity Centre in Lewes on Sunday, October 4, 11 and 18 from 10am to 3pm.
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