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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

When Home Won't Let You Stay: Migration Through Contemporary Art

Oct 23, 2019 – Jan 26, 2020
25 Harbor Shore Dr, Boston, MA 02210

“No one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark …” These are the first lines of Warsan Shire’s poem “Home,” from which this exhibition takes its title. A visual narrative of migration, the story is told through the work of 20 contemporary artists from a dozen different countries. Each piece provides a regional perspective—Yto Barrada captures migrants in Tangier, for instance, while Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum strings suitcases together with strands of hair—but it all adds up to this: an unprecedented number of people are on the move, out of necessity. —C.J.F.