At the Rovati Foundation in Milan, an exhibition tells art and stories from refugee camps around the world

Opening June 17 in the spaces of the Luigi Rovati Foundation in Milan is the exhibition Out of Place. Art and Stories from Refugee Camps Around the World, which can be visited until July 19, 2026. The exhibition project is promoted by the Imago Mundi Foundation in collaboration with the Luigi Rovati Foundation and is under the patronage of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The initiative stems from research conducted between 2022 and 2024 within eighteen of the largest refugee camps currently in existence and in other areas affected by migratory phenomena. The exhibition is curated as part of the Imago Mundi Collection by Claudio Scorretti, Irina Ungureanu and Aman Mojadidi. The curatorial work involved artists who live or have lived in refugee camps, who were invited to create works in the 10x12 cm format, following the model of the Imago Mundi Collection. The project presents 284 works by 264 artists who live in these facilities or have had similar experiences in the past.

The project also integrates the personal stories of the artists involved, building a visual and narrative archive that confronts the global refugee crisis. According to UNHCR data, there are 117 million people forced to leave their homes due to war, persecution and violence today. Of these, about 19 percent, or 8.7 million individuals, live inside refugee camps.

The title of the exhibition echoes the expression “out of place,” used by Palestinian writer Edward Said to describe the plight of refugees, including his own personal experience. The project is inspired by this definition to construct a space for artistic expression aimed at those living in highly precarious contexts. The exhibition route proposes an extended geography of contemporary migration. Areas represented include Kutupalong in Bangladesh, along with several camps in Africa. There are testimonies from the large camps in Kenya, Dadaab and Kakuma; the settlements in Uganda, Nakivale and Bidibidi; Dzaleka camp in Malawi; Nyabiheke in Rwanda; and the Smara area with the camps of El Aaiun, Awserd, Boujdour and Dakhla in Algeria.

The Middle East is represented by Za’atari camp, one of the largest dedicated to Syrian refugees, and five Palestinian refugee camps located in Jordan: Baq’a, Hittin, Irbid, Madaba and Souf. Adding to this map are the testimonies of artists from experiences of migration and refuge in other areas of the world, including Kurdish and Yazidi artists telling the stories of their peoples.

One section is devoted to Afghan artists, about forty in number, who, following the Taliban’s seizure of power in August 2021, either left the country or remained there. Additional narrative cores deal with migration to Europe, particularly along the Mediterranean routes and from Ukraine, as well as a section devoted to the migration corridors of South and Central America, with a focus on the Mexico-U.S. border.

The exhibition is also part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees. The international text establishes the rights and duties of people who are outside their country of origin and who are unable or unwilling to return for fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion. The Convention also includes principles such as non-discrimination and non-penalization, as well as access to justice, education and employment.

The official opening of the exhibition is preceded by an opening conversation scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. The meeting, titledVoices Out of Place, will feature director Daniele Abbado, Special Friends of UNHCR, and Corriere della Sera deputy editor Venanzio Postiglione. The exhibition project is accompanied by the publication of an Imago Mundi Collection catalog of the same name, available at the museum bookshop. Also on sale within the same space are bags and clutches made by Ugandan women: all proceeds will be donated to UNHCR.

The exhibition also includes a program of guided tours every Saturday at 11 a.m., accessible by online reservation and at no additional cost.

Statements

"Out of Place. Art and stories from refugee camps around the world is part of the program that in 2026 the Luigi Rovati Foundation is dedicating to the themes of social cooperation and inclusion," comments Giovanna Forlanelli, President of the Luigi Rovati Foundation. “We have long supported UNHCR’s activities in Italy, a commitment that also involves me personally as a Special Friend. The exhibition testifies how, even in contexts marked by precariousness, uprooting and marginality, art continues to be an essential form of human expression. Imago Mundi’s research and experimental work gives voice to otherwise unknown artists.”

“With this exhibition, Fondazione Imago Mundi continues on its path of research that questions the possibility of reading the world through contemporary art practices,” says Mauro Benetton, Vice President Fondazione Imago Mundi. “We are pleased that this project has met the sensitivity of UNHCR and the Luigi Rovati Foundation and that, thanks to this collaboration, it can continue on its path. This is a collection of works that, in the vision and identity of Imago Mundi Collection, gives space to a plurality of gazes and narratives, which show us how art and creativity take shape even in the most fragile and complex contexts.”

“Nearly 15 million refugees in low- and middle-income countries are trapped in a condition of protracted displacement and dependence on humanitarian aid,” says Anna Leer, UNHCR Interim Representative for Italy, the Holy See, Malta and San Marino. “At the same time, the growing crises of our time and funding cuts are putting increasing pressure on host countries and the humanitarian response. A more sustainable and inclusive approach is needed: refugees should be included in a meaningful way in the social and economic life of their host communities, invited to contribute, valuing their talents and skills, offering them the opportunity to live productive lives and feel part of a community...The project implemented by Imago Mundi and generously hosted by the Luigi Rovati Foundation offers refugees the chance to self-represent themselves-an important first step in no longer defining themselves as ’Out of Place.’”

At the Rovati Foundation in Milan, an exhibition tells art and stories from refugee camps around the world

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