Image Credit: Atithi Studios
The migration from North Africa across the Mediterranean to European countries, such as Italy and Greece, and the resulting refugee crisis comes to life in a recent exhibition at Atithi Studios, a community-driven cultural and creative center in the Sharpsburg neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, which was founded in 2021 by Sukanta Nag to foster the arts, culture and community exchange.
Renowned Pittsburgh artist Michael Fratangelo’s Refugee exhibit, which features six 6′ x 5′ spiritually symbolic paintings inspired by the masses crossing the Mediterranean, is testament to the impact Atithi Studios is making on the Pittsburgh region’s artistic and creative landscape – providing artists like Fratangelo with a canvas to express important cultural and societal issues.
Fratangelo’s paintings capture the harrowing journey for refugees – from camps in North Africa to boats and finally to distant shores. The refugees are fleeing war, conflict, climate change, and poverty, taking unfathomable risks to make it to Europe’s doorstep. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2024), droughts and floods generated by climate change in the East and Horn of Africa are having a dramatic impact on human migration as is the conflict in the Sudan, which has displaced approximately 8.8 million as of May 2024.
The refugees and immigrants from these countries take dangerous risks as migration routes become more complicated and border management is more prevalent. Many die or fall victim to vulnerable situations by smugglers and those engaged in human trafficking who exploit the desperation of people searching to find international protection and build a life for themselves and their children.
Years ago, Frantangelo exhibited Iraq: Paintings of War and wanted to create a follow-up piece. Nearly 20 years later, on Stanley Tucci’s cooking program, “Searching for Italy,” he heard about wooden boats filled with shoes and other belongings left by refugees showing up on the shores of Sicily, which inspired Refugee. “Each portrait in Refugee aims to open the audience’s eyes to the shared plight of refugees and immigrants,” said Fratangelo. “This is a show about humanity.”
Like many of the events and exhibits at Atithi, Refugee opened with a community-oriented celebration, including refugee-centric non-profits and Catholic and Jewish charities, which displayed their missions and services in a street fair-type atmosphere, complete with food, music, and more. “At Atithi Studios, we are committed to celebrating culture, creativity, and our shared humanity. Michael’s work represents not only people’s struggles but also the power of the human spirit and the crucial role we all play,” adds Sukanta Nag.
Atithi Studios’s mission is to build a happier community through engagement with the arts. “Our space offers a welcoming environment for artists to thrive and for the community to come together, share, and be inspired,” said Sukanta Nag. Since its inception, Atithi has fast-emerged as a cultural and creative center for the Pittsburgh creative community, offering a variety of outlets for artists seeking to express their unique voices.
Similar to the Refugee exhibit, Atithi Studios has previously hosted a variety of cultural events, including a community-wide Holi Festival, a sustainable fashion show of local designers, a cooking show, a Diwali celebration, and more.
Atithi, which is Bengali for “guest,” has a number of events and exhibits planned for the remainder of 2024 according to Nag, including a Latin American Festival, September 21, and a Monthly Artist Mentorship Series, running through December, which is designed to help artists understand the business side of their craft.
About Atithi Studios
Founded by Sukanta Nag, Atithi Studios provides a welcoming space for individuals of all backgrounds to come together and celebrate the richness of diversity through various cultural events and programs. The three-floor building is dedicated to nurturing artists and enriching the broader community of Pittsburgh with a public podcast and multimedia studio as well as private studios on the second and third floors, and a dynamic gallery which doubles as a flexible event venue on the first floor.
