Exhibition recalls Basque refugee children

A new art exhibition has been inspired by the experiences of Basque children evacuated to the UK during the Spanish Civil War.

Almost 4,000 arrived by ship in Southampton, after the bombing of the town of Guernica in 1937, and were initially housed in a temporary camp outside the town.

Artists Sonia Boué and Ashokkumar D Mistry created the exhibition, entitled Las Gemelas: Arrival (a lexicon of unmaking), based on material held in the University of Southampton archive.

The John Hansard Gallery described it as a "a deeply personal account of history".

On 26 April 1937 the small Basque town of Guernica was targeted by Franco's Nationalist forces, supported by the German and Italian air forces, in one of the most infamous actions of the Spanish Civil War.

Thousands of families sought protection for their children by sending them overseas - almost 4,000 were packed on to the SS Habana bound for the port of Southampton.

On arrival the children were housed in a temporary camp on the outskirts of the city at North Stoneham before being transferred to homes - known as colonies - around the country.

Among the works at the exhibition are clothes to represent the efforts made by local people to make clothes for the newly-arrived refugees.

A "lighthouse dress" is sewn with images dedicated to those who helped organise sanctuary for the children.

Another exhibit is made up of wooden tables tied together, to symbolise how the community pulled together to help with donations of furniture and clothing.

A sculptural installation of 100 coloured wool pom poms was inspired by the fringe on a Spanish souvenir tambourine.

As a young man, Ms Boué's father, José García Lora, was a political exile from Spain and worked with the children at the Stoneham camp.

Mr Mistry's family migrated from India. The two artists say they share family histories of cultural displacement which is reflected in the exhibition.

Both artists are also autistic and the works show a "neurodivergent approach to exhibition making".

Oxford-based Ms Boué said: "I definitely grew up in an atmosphere with the sense that something sad had taken place that I couldn't really put my finger on.

"With the neurodivergence as well, as another layer of feeling different, it's been quite hard sometimes to unpick which is which.

"As I was working with my hands, I was always thinking about the history and the children."

Las Gemelas: Arrival (a lexicon of unmaking) runs at the John Hansard Gallery in Southampton until 11 January 2025.

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