Crossroads Art Show is pleased to exhibit Somewhere else, a special project dedicated to the refugee issue.

Juan delGado, a socially engaged artist based in London, has been invited to showcase his works. delGado has worked extensively on this subject since way before it become a focus of the media. He travelled to Greece, Macedonia, and Calais to record the journeys taken by different refugees. He has not focused on capturing these ‘invisible’ people; rather, his protagonists are the places that they have passed through.

The project is a journey. As a storyteller, the artist recounts an intimate experience of travelling through an unfamiliar landscape through which the real life experience of thousands of refugees reverberates.

Just like the Berlin Wall has symbolised for many years a division, the Mediterranean Sea now seems to play a similar role as a barrier. A new border has been formed that the refugee cannot straddle but is now forced to navigate. An apparent ‘invisible’ frontier that contrasts leisure, wealth and glamour for some, with the harsh reality of becoming a refugee for others. The beautiful background of the Mediterranean bears witness to the trauma and displacement of the people who continue to move through it.

In his work delGado presents powerful fragments of experiences and fleeting moments that tell the human story of people caught in the unfolding sweep of history.

The title Somewhere Else is a haiku that the artist himself wrote in 2006.

Art plays an important role in raising awareness in society. Through their work, artists can be the voice of the unheard, drawing attention to issues that concerns us all as human beings. While the privileged scene of an art fair might seem an unlikely place to debate a difficult subject such as the refugee crisis, through this project Crossroads aims to contribute to raise awareness on the issue, promoting dialogue and discussions among artists and the public.

As Paul Hobson, the director of Modern Art Oxford said, institutions have a responsibility to reflect contemporary issues in their programmes – without bending to market tastes and pressures. We believe that an art fair can go beyond the marketing of art, or not be strictly limited to that purpose; it can also function pedagogically and help us to engage in contemporary issues through the lens of art, in a fresh and stimulating environment.

All profits from the exhibition will be donated to Islington Centre Refugee and Migrants in London. The Islington Centre provides refugees and asylum seekers with practical support such as English language classes, as well as social and community services. We aim to help fund the campaign to raise money to allow the centre to open for three days a week early in 2017.

Somewhere Else is also supported by Counterpoints Arts.