Foam x KLABU: Strength Away From Home

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Foam proudly presents the Strength Away From Home exhibition at Mercatorplein’s Amsterdam West public space. The project is initiated in collaboration with KLABU, an Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation that supports refugees through sports. It marks World Refugee Week and reflects upon the courage and resilience of millions of refugees worldwide who have been torn from their familiar environment and forced to build a new life away from home. The exhibition, which shows the work of photographer Coco Olakunle, aims to break through existing stereotypes and shift the visual narrative surrounding refugees, empowering their personal voices.

Free entrance

Foam x KLABU: Strength Away From Home

Location

Mercatorplein Foam Galerie

Mercatorplein 1

1056 CL Amsterdam

Contact

info@foam.org

Strength Away From Home

Over the past decade, Foam has been focusing on addressing the current reality of migration through artistic reflection. In a more splintered world than ever, notions of place and belonging have gained unprecedented relevance. KLABU sets up clubhouses in refugee camps in countries such as Kenya, Bangladesh, Greece, Brazil, and closer to home, in Ter Apel and Amsterdam on the Haarlemmerdijk, connecting refugees and host communities. Photographer Coco Olakunle has been closely involved with KLABU since its inception in 2019. Olakunle’s work shows the KLABU community in refugee camps such as Kalobeyei (Kenya) and Lesbos (Greece). In doing so, she explicitly authentically captures people, allowing them to control how they are represented. As a self-taught image maker, Olakunle explores social issues and investigates their role in photography. With this collaborative project, Foam and KLABU present visual storytelling to allow a look at the world from different perspectives.

Unity Day for World Refugee Week 2024

World Refugee Week (17-23 June) falls in the time span of this exhibition, where Foam and KLABU shed light on the spirits of the people in refugee camps. On Saturday, 22 June (from 13.00-18.00 hrs), refugees, other newcomers and local Amsterdammers are warmly invited to unite on Mercatorplein for a festive afternoon. Through photography workshops by artist Coco Olakunle, sports activities involving professional athletes, and the sharing of food, drinks and music, Foam and KLABU aim to create an active community and a level playing field for all and make space to celebrate the contribution of refugees can make to our city and society.

Free entrance