The harsh reality and challenges of those forced to flee and leave everything behind will be portrayed in a sound exhibition marking 75 years of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The exhibition Longing, Open to the public, it will be presented on the 5th and 6th of November, at Time Out Market Lisboa.
Longing is one of those words without a literal translation, but which is understood as a nostalgic and painful longing for a home left behind and to which one can no longer return. According to a statement from UNHCR’s partner foundation in Portugal, the sound exhibition is inspired by real testimonies and “explores the clash between the mundane of life and war, the disaster that affects people of different origins, professions and social status, and the depersonalization of their lives, transformed into mere statistics”.
The exhibition was created by ADVERSA, with the support of Portugal with UNHCR and directed by artists António Bernardes de Sá and Tiago Bastos Nunes. The event is part of the 20th edition of Social Responsibility Week (SRS 2025), organized by APEE – Portuguese Association of Business Ethics.
“It is an honor for us to be able to count on Portugal’s involvement with UNHCR in our initiative, especially at a time when the international context contains threats to peace, one of the five pillars of sustainability”, says Mário Parra da Silva, president of the APEE Board, cited in a statement.
Longing It will be open to the public between 10am and 5:30pm. “We have a space reserved for this artistic installation inside Time Out Studio, so that people can enjoy the experience without disturbance. We will also have our project team Face to Face no local, to guide visitors throughout the narrative and provide details about the Foundation’s work in Portugal in supporting international humanitarian assistance projects carried out by UNHCR”, explains Joana Feliciano, head of Communication and External Relations for Portugal with UNHCR.
This is the first in a series of activities marking the 75th anniversary of the UN agency. The cultural program will be “divided into several distinct moments that invite us to recognize, through art and these sensory experiences, the physical and psychological obstacles faced by a person in this condition, giving us the possibility of briefly putting ourselves in their place”, highlights Joana Feliciano.
One of the main moments will be a new artistic installation with an immersive experience that will represent the journey of war refugees. Participants will be able to feel some of the obstacles these people face.
By 2024, only 30% of the required global budget had been raised by mid-year. The UN estimates that, at the moment, more than 122 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes.
amanda.lima@dn.pt
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