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THE NEW EU FLAG

INTERVENTION, PERFORMANCE

2016

The work is a comment on EU’s reluctant attitude towards the refugees. The European Union was formed to share democratic, humanitarian and liberal values. But today, several EU states have closed their borders to thousands of refugees and, as Syria’s humanitarian crisis is spinning out of control, more borders are likely to close.

Europe is undermining its moral values by turning its back on hundreds of thousands of people who are in despair. At the same time, nationalism and fascism are rising across Europe. In this regard, the making of the ‘New EU flag’, as the flag of its new found refugee nation, alerts us against the demise of the European Dream, the need to reinstate its founding principles and by using a ‘nationalist’ connotation, reminds us to unite against the rise of extremism.

The first raising took place at the Slade School of Fine Art, in a guerrilla fashion, after the initial request to use UCL's central pole was rejected. The act attempts to underline how a 'dream of unity' has turned into a nightmare. The sound of the ‘Ode to Joy’, EU’s anthem, amplifies the irony in this otherwise dramatic situation. 

Intervention at the Slade School of Fine Art, February 2016 - Rehearsals - Official Raising Ceremony, UCL Portico. June 2016

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