MoMA’s show on better refugee shelters is what the world needs right now

Many believe the newspapers are bearers of bad news – wars and its tragic repercussions. The recently released United Nations figures add more gravity to the situation – 65 million individuals worldwide are refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons. In order to move away from conflicted areas, many people constantly stay on the move or rather escape into alien territories and camps. These unfriendly places with no security and limited amenities pose a critical problem for people and the world at large. This is why there is a dire need for a global movement to address this issue.

The exhibition at Museum of Modern Art titled Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter brings together architects, designers and artists to respond to the complex situation brought about through voluntary or forced displacement. The show is organised by Sean Anderson, Associate Curator, with Ariele Dionne-Krosnick, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art. The show aims to offer a critical perspective behind the reason and history of migration and displacement.

The exhibition also focuses on a range of structures and objects that have been invented to combat this issue. Take for example the jointly designed IKEA Foundation and UNHCR’s Better Shelter, which is a modular, flexible and lightweight structure that poses as the perfect temporary accommodation for displaced people. Similar works by Estudio Teddy Cruz + Forman, Henk Wildschut, Reena Saini Kallat and Tiffany Chung will be on show too.

Where: Dunn Gallery, second floor, MoMa, New York

When: January 22, 2017

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