The right to art
Young refugees are introduced to art. Sounds like a cliché project - except that these asylum-seekers at a Karlsruhe museum show reporter Kate Hairsine how to appreciate paintings like you've never seen them before.
Selfie portrait
"Selfies" have been around much longer than smartphones. Like this one by 19th-century German painter Anselm Feuerbach. Young asylum-seekers pondered the self-portrait as part of an art program at the Karlsruhe State Art Gallery. How boring, thought reporter Kate Hairsine - until she started listening to the young refugees' reflections.
A matter of perspective
Anselm Feuerbach looks like he's from India, says one aslyum-seeker participating in the art program: "All men in India have mustaches or you're not a man." The youths taking part at the Karlsruhe museum come from Pakistan, Gambia, Ethiopia, Syria, and elsewhere.
The classical selfie
When asked to try their own hand at digital "self-portraits," the praticipants took it seriously and posed just like Feuerbach had. After all, who really wants to save a silly face for posterity?
Modern portraits
"It's the first time I have ever visited a museum," said one of the participants. The young participants probably didn't expect to find selfie sticks there.
Do it yourself
For some of the participants, it was their first opportunity to create art - a chance they valued, even as they talked of dreams to pursue less artistic careers as mechanics, electricians or carpenters.
Made to share
The works created by the participants in the Karlsruhe State Art Gallery's program for refugees are on display at the Durlach vocational school through July 31, 2015. Their selfies will form part of a larger exhibition at the Karlsruhe State Art Gallery - "I am Here. From Rembrandt to the Selfie" - which will run from October 31 to January 30, 2016.