Migration Nation

MIGRATION NATION comic + catalogue

Migration Nation is an extensive project and exhibition thinking through the human impact of climate migration by London-based Maltese artist Iella.

Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity are now a reality for large numbers of people around the world, many of whom have no choice but to leave their homes in search of safety. Migration Nation is a direct reaction to this reality, and an attempt to attach a humanity and emotion to events which seem so vast and incalculable as to be beyond our understanding. Barn Swallows (Huttafa) and other birds take the place of peoples in transit, as their journeys unfold, in a narrative which runs through the exhibition.

Through large-scale acrylic paintings and intricate etchings, Iella offers a moving portrayal of the human experience of displacement; her imagery evokes a deep empathy for the displaced, highlighting the shared struggles of humanity across borders.

Alongside Iella’s work, invited artist Christian de Souza Jensen (aka SeaPuppy) shows a new animated work, echoing its call for climate justice and a humane treatment of migrants. Towards the end of the exhibition path, the installation created in a collaboration with the Malta Community of Illustrators, is reflective of a collaborative instinct in which the physical act of building a structure from many contributions can also be seen as a call for solidarity and empathy with those less fortunate than ourselves. The public is invited to interact and contribute to this piece.

The works in this exhibition were created in London where the artist lives and in Sydney during an extended residency in 2023, but a link with Malta is retained through references to the luzzu, to Mediterranean shorelines, and to birds which stop on our islands during their long migration. The story told is universal, and the problems posed are existential; not only for the human race, but for life on this planet as we know it.

Migration Nation is part of the Spazju Kreattiv programme and runs from 10th September - 13th November at Spazju Kreattiv, Space C. Creative team: Artist and project management: Iella (Daniela Attard) Curator: Margerita Pulè Invited artist: SeaPuppy (Christian de Souza Jensen) Collaborators: Malta Community of Illustrators, Clara Azzopardi, Zoe Briffa, Jessica Cutajar, Shanice Farrugia, Kath Flask, Miriam Galea, Mel Grech, Zoe Marsh, Ellie Scerri, Matthew Schembri, Moira Scicluna Zahra, Naomi Smith, Steffi Venturi, Kyle Xuereb Cunningham

Portrait of a migrant Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground, 2023, London, UK

The crops have failed again.

Drought plate Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Unknown futures 1: Signs of change Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

Fires ravish the lands.

Fires plate Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Migration at Sea 1: Beginning Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

It finally rained. But there is nothing left to absorb the deluge and we are swept away in a flood.

Flooding plate Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Migration at Sea 4: Journey’s End Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

Migration at Sea 2: Beginning 2 Acrylic paint on canvas, 2023, Sydney, Australia Migration at Sea 3: Journey’s end Acrylic paint on canvas, 2023, Sydney, Australia

Our group had no choice but to attempt the journey by sea.

Journeys at sea plate 1a Zinc plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2023, London, UK

Journeys at sea plate 1b Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Journeys at sea plate 2 Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Some of us would survive the journey but many were lost.

Journeys at sea plate 3 Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Survivors found themselves fighting over resources of the new land.

Resource Wars 1: Sleep of reason Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

Mother and child plate Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2023, London, UK Downed Boat plate Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2023, London, UK

So many of us died.

The Drowned Migrants Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Survivors ended up in a processing center with no clear future.

There is nowhere else for us to go.

Unknown Futures 2: Asylum seekers Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

Resource wars – Citizenship Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

The future is unknown, but we have to keep trying.

Resource wars 2: The Consequences of War Acrylic paint on canvas, 2024, London, UK

Resource wars – Petroleum Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK

Collective greif Copper plate etching – hard ground, aquatint and soft ground. 2024, London, UK