The GRABS project organised our first photo exhibition in a public art gallery, the KZNSA Gallery in eThekwini-Durban in South Africa.
The exhibition, a culmination of our photography workshops, brought together a series of photos taken by young refugees on the theme of belonging/difference. The young people involved brought their own imagination to interpret what these themes mean to them, and how they can represent them through photographic images.
The opening of the exhibition on 31st January 2026 was attended by the young photographers and their families, project partners and members of the public.
The event was opened by Azola Krweqe, the gallery administrator, Professor Jane Freedman, the project PI, and Professor Laurent Vidal, Director of the IRD-CNRS-CIRAD office in South Africa.
We were also delighted to have an opening speech by one of the young participants in our project, Gladys Irakoze, who spoke about what being part of the GRABS project had meant to her, and how she felt to see her own photos exhibited in a professional art gallery.
All of the young people who participated in the project were delighted to see their work exhibited in a professional art gallery and enjoyed the opportunity to talk to members of the public about their art. Many of them explained that this was one way that they could tell their stories and feel seen and heard.
Members of the public were impressed by the quality of the photographs and also the thoughtful and thought provoking descriptions the young people had written. One visitor praised the timeliness of the exhibition and told us that it had changed the way she thought about migrants and refugees.
The exhibition also featured a sound track of the podcasts made by project participants which brought to light some of the pressing issues faced by young refugees, issues which were also illustrated in the photographs.
The exhibition ran from 31st January to 7th February 2026, and was a huge success. We hope this is just the first of many such exhibitions that our project will produce.
All photos by Niamh Ashling
You can watch a report on France 24 about our exhibition here