Their stories are more violent than expected. The queer refugees that testify in Carlos Motta’s new exhibition, The Crossing, at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam through January 21 hail from countries like Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria — places where homosexuality isn’t just frowned upon, but maligned, attacked, maimed, and obliviated.
The eleven videos from Motta’s series are sparse but effective, intimate portraits of queer refugees who often endure a path of extreme violence on the way to asylum in Holland. These small confessionals illuminate the harrowing experiences of LGBTQ+ migrants with unfussy ease. Motta allows each sitter to control their own narrative, exposing the specific brutalities launched against queer refugees in the midst of seeking asylum.
The accounts that come into relief stun. Read more via them