Photography Exhibition "Seeking Safety & Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Cyprus"

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

"SEEKING SAFETY: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Cyprus" Universitas Foundation, with the support of Strovolos Municipality and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is organising a photography exhibition entitled "Seeking Safety: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Cyprus", presenting an important body of photographic work by internationally acclaimed photographer Sebastian Rich, curated by Katerina Chatzistylli, Director of Universitas Foundation.

The exhibition will be hosted at Strovolos Cultural Centre (Archbishop Kyprianou 34, 2059 Strovolos) and will be open to the public from 20 to 23 October 2026. The official opening will take place on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at 18:00.

Through striking photographic portrayals of refugees, asylum seekers and other forcibly displaced people, both in Cyprus and internationally, the exhibition highlights the many dimensions of the refugee experience and the complex challenges involved in seeking safety and a dignified life. The photographs document critical aspects of this journey: arrivals and the first moments of forced displacement, temporary stays in reception and accommodation facilities, political and social developments affecting the lives of displaced populations, and ongoing efforts to provide care, housing, food and support.

At the same time, the exhibition highlights the processes of social and professional integration of refugees and asylum seekers, their everyday lives, and their personal journeys as people with unique stories, experiences and expectations. Young people, older people and children emerge as protagonists of a reality marked by uncertainty and anxiety about the present, but also by remarkable resilience, dignity and hope for the future.

The exhibition invites visitors to reflect meaningfully on the concepts of trauma, memory, the familiar and the unfamiliar. It explores the perceptions and stereotypes that often accompany the figure of the "other", the refugee or displaced person, while highlighting shared human experiences that transcend national, cultural and geographical borders. The personal narratives and corresponding portraits presented in the exhibition serve as powerful testimonies to human resilience and dignity. They remind us that every person has the right to seek conditions of safety, protection and freedom, regardless of origin, identity, or the social and political circumstances that force them to leave their homeland because of war, persecution or other forms of violence.

The exhibition is open daily from 09:00-20:00, and admission is free to the public.