Seen exhibition at Ballymena Central Library

The Seen exhibition by Oliver Jeffers, and produced by Nerve Centre, will go on tour to Ballymena Central Library and Mossley Mill this October as part of Good Relations Week. In 2023, Oliver Jeffers joined a group of asylum-seeking children and young people in a church hall in Belfast for a magical day of creativity and storytelling. The young people were asked to draw pictures of their hopes and dreams, around which Jeffers sketched their portraits. The collaborative drawings give a powerful impression of what is important to young people who have fled other countries, revealing how they wish to be seen. Fleeing conflict in search of stability, families who have endured unimaginable trauma now exist in a different state of distress. Patiently living in limbo, their lives on hold, waiting and hoping their asylum claims will be granted. Faced with temporary accommodation, language barriers and the difficulty of getting placed within schools, children are unable to grow, learn and experience life in a way many take for granted. The Seen portraits will be on display from 9 – 21 October and are the tour is being organised to coincide with Good Relations Week 2025. Seen was developed by the Oliver Jeffers Studio, Anaka Women’s Collective, Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) and South Belfast MLA Kate Nicholl. The Seen exhibition was produced by Nerve Centre and this tour has received support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.