Two stunning new photo exhibitions on opposite sides of the Atlantic are changing attitudes towards refugees and migrants.

Many of the images we see of refugees, migrants and immigrants portray them as burdens on society or victims of oppression.

But a new photo show in New York titled ‘Another Way Home’ and another in London titled ‘The New Londoners’ are offering different narratives.

Curated by the Open Society Foundations, a philanthropic organization founded by George Soros, the New York exhibit is the latest installation of its annual Moving Walls series.

The series is dedicated to social justice, and this year, the topic is migration. The show opened on September 26 at the group’s office in New York City and runs until July 2019.

The Foundation received more than 400 submissions and chose 13 photographers, artists and storytellers. Many of the winners are immigrants, migrants or refugees themselves.

“We aim to emphasize the individual acts of bravery and self-sacrifice as well as the resilience of familial and community ties that exist amidst stories of great risk and pain,” said co-curator Yukiko Yamagata in a statement.

One activist photographed a Mexican immigrant among colorful handcrafted piñatas, which she sells to support her family in Queens.

A designer traveled to Italy to cast African migrants in a high-end fashion shoot. A photographer asked a refugee family in Lebanon to re-create a tough moment: serving the children grass, because there was nothing else to eat.

Each artist will receive up to $60,000 from the Foundations to continue their work

See images from the exhibition here: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/announcing-moving-walls-25-another-way-home

In London, photographer Chris Steele-Perkins began The New Londoners project four years ago, a work reflecting the individuality, community and unity of Londoners today.

“The idea behind it was to think of a different way to photograph migration,” he says.

“Migrants have always been photographed very extensively in a dramatic, photojournalist sense, but I wanted to change that.”

The project encompasses portraits of families from over 180 countries across the globe, who have all settled in London.

Before it’s culmination into a book next year, Steele-Perkins hopes to photograph 20 more.

“It’s one of those projects that could go on forever,” he says, “But I have to draw the line somewhere.”

See some of Steele Perkins images here: http://www.bjp-online.com/2018/10/portrait-of-humanity-i-wanted-to-rethink-the-way-we-photographed-migration/

Laurie Nowell

Senior Journalist