His works are hosted at the Refugee Museum, in Thessaloniki, in the exhibition entitled “Painting PAINtings”
His own story, which “touches” and the story of many people who live in structures, is “told” by the 35-year-old refugee from Morocco Ilias Azouaghwith his works, hosted at Refugee Museumin Thessaloniki, in the exhibition entitled “Painting PAINtings”.
Alongside the exhibition of the works, Ilias is coordinating an art workshop at the Refugee Museum with non-conventional materials that he himself initially used to create. The exhibition and the workshop are organized by the Community Empowerment Group of the International Organization for Migration, which is active in Structures.
The artist created the works while he was in PROKEKA (Pre-Departure Detention Center for Foreigners) for illegal entry into Greece. At first he had no materials at hand and painted on the paper from the cigarette pack, with improvised colors, from potato, matches, tobacco, ketchup, mustard, toothpaste and anything else he could find.
The guards then recognized his talent and gave him paints, which he used. But, instead of the classic paper, which “sucks”, as he says, the color chose to continue expressing itself with the cigarette packs.
“Painting for me is life“, Mr. Azouagh, who has designed 120 works on cigarette packs so far and continues, told APE-MPE. He started painting from a young age, on the subject of his favorite animals and the colors his parents gave him as a gift. He did not crave, like most children, an ice cream or a chocolate, his problem was how to find colors.
Asked about the story behind the works in the exhibition, he underlined: “Life is complicated. Whatever I see in life as complicated, I try to capture it on paper, through a drawing. My mind pushes me to go so far, even to other planets to find paintings and capture them».
Ilias Azouagh is currently living in a hospitality structure in northern Greece, but when we ask him about his personal story, he answers that he does not want to tell it… He would like to publish a book with the works in the exhibition, while when asked if he is thinking of to continue his journey to another country, he says that until now he has not “had enough” of Greece. “Once that is done, then I will think about the next steps“, he emphasizes.
Speaking to APE-MPE, Labrini Stamati from the International Organization for Migration highlighted the strength, durability and creativity that the artist’s works and the use of unexpected materials highlight. He added that the exhibition was visited by refugees from the Polykastro Kilkis Building and many Thessaloniki residents and all of them had the experience of seeing the works and using everyday materials to paint.
The exhibition will last until Friday July 29 and is open weekdays from 12 noon to 6 pm.
RES-EMP
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