The work comments on the European Union’s hesitant response to the refugee crisis. Founded on democratic, humanitarian, and liberal values, the EU once stood as a symbol of unity and solidarity. Today, several member states have closed their borders to thousands fleeing war and despair. As the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria deepens, more borders continue to close.

By turning its back on those in despair, Europe undermines the very principles on which it was built. Meanwhile, nationalism and fascism are resurfacing across the continent. The New EU Flag — conceived as the flag of a newly formed “refugee nation” — stands as both a warning and a call. It points to the collapse of the European dream and urges a return to its founding ideals. Its nationalist tone, deliberately ironic, reminds us that unity must be reclaimed against the rise of extremism.

The first raising of the flag took place at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, in guerrilla fashion, after official permission to use UCL’s central flagpole was denied. The act underlines how a dream of unity has turned into a nightmare. The sound of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, the EU anthem, plays as a haunting echo of irony within this otherwise tragic reality.

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Read UCL's presentation of the ceremony here.

Read an interview on Popaganda Magazine here. 

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