Refugees Are Real by Ghada Wali

Egyptian designer Ghada Wali created a series of interactive paintings to bridge the gap between refugees and their host countries.

Tempers are running high as all over the world people are still reeling from the shock of US President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee resettlement and entry into the United States of people from several countries. The move prompted mass protests, court cases and more.

In the aftermath of the chaotic ban, a number of people took to social media to decry the ruling using detailed, real-time scenarios in which Muslim scholars, business people and students found themselves barred from re-entry to the US, despite having valid green cards and visas. But, it’s important to note that one does not need to be exceptional to be deserving of human rights. Award-winning Egyptian artist, illustrator, art director and graphic designer Ghada Wali’s Refugees Are Real series is particularly poignant in these trying times.

While the series was not created in response to the immigration order, Wali’s collection of paintings is just one of the ways that design can work to bridge the gap between refugees and their host countries. According to her website, the series is meant to turn feelings of pity into action.