On the Move is a project about freedom of movement. From February to April 2016, Canada-based artist Gita Hashemi embarked on a ground journey from Germany to Turkey along the so-called “refugee route.” On the way, she met with other people on the move as well as artists and activists who supported freedom of movement and refugee rights. She shared meals, exchanged ideas and recorded short interviews at every stop. She also played a supportive role as a Farsi and Dari translator to facilitate communication with refugees from Afghanistan and Iran.
Along the way, Gita documented the journey and the stories of people she met in a mailart series, a photo series and video shorts. See an excerpt from one of the videos.
About the Artist:
Gita Hashemi is an Iranian-born, Toronto-based feminist transdisciplinary artist. She left Iran in mid-1980s during the Iraq-Iran war and the mass arrests and persecution of leftist activists by the government. She lived without status for seven years until she was accepted as a refugee in Canada. She has been a long-time activist in Toronto and participated in the Palestine solidarity movement, labour organizing, anti-war and refugee-right campaigns, gender and cultural equity projects, environmental movement and Indigenous solidarity efforts. She uses her art projects to make visible historical traumas, create decolonized spaces for healing, and promote inter-cultural and borderless solidarity. “On the Move” is rooted in her own experience as a refugee and motivated by her desire to foreground the spirit of freedom that is part of our shared humanity.