Beacon Gallery has the unique opportunity to meet and work with a range of artists, partners and members of the wider art community. Beacon Gallery Connections allows us to take a closer look at their personal journey, and get a better understanding of their relationship to art.

Meet Shakiba A.

In January, Beacon Gallery will be hosting “Lives in Limbo: Refugees at the Gates of Europe” which will features photographs of refugee camps as well as artwork by refugee artists.

The show will be on from January 5th through the 28th, with an opening evening on Friday the 5th from 6 – 8 pm.

Our intent with the show is the bring awareness to the plight of refugees in Europe, fundraise for Leslie Meral Schick who supports refugees, and to help refugee artists find  their own audience as artists.

As such, we are delighted to present Shakiba A.. Shakiba is 29 years old, married, and the mother of a 2-year old son, and is a self-taught artist.

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She and her family fled Afghanistan, where they lived in a region controlled by the Taliban.  Theirs is a somewhat untraditional family in that Shakiba’s husband has actively encouraged his wife to pursue her dream of becoming an artist, although this kind of independence for women can be frowned upon within their society.

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Shakiba was pregnant when she made the arduous journey, on foot and then by dinghy, from Afghanistan through Turkey and to Greece.  The family has now been granted three-year subsidiary protection in Greece. Although this is a desirable status, it also means that any financial support provided by the government has been withdrawn.

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As of December 1st, the family is also no longer permitted to reside in refugee accommodations. Similarly to others with this asylum status, they are expected to find and pay the rent for a private apartment and to cover all living costs including utilities, food, clothes, etc. (They remain eligible to receive health care and education for their son.)

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Through sales of her art, Shakiba is the sole provider for her family.

As a refugee artist Shakiba will receive 100% of the profits of any sale arranged through Beacon Gallery. We will have two of her pieces up for auction, and more will be available as commissions – write us at contact@beacongallery.com to learn more.

We hope that you will join Beacon Gallery in supporting this talented artist!

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