Swaray / Swaray’s Home: A Story of Migration, Memory, and Belonging

"Swaray" and "Swaray's Home", published in 2023, 15x10 cm, Limited edition

Some stories arrive quietly, through conversation rather than spectacle. My two art zines, “Swaray” and “Swaray’s Home,” grew from such a conversation—one that gradually unfolded into a long-term artistic reflection on migration, resilience, and the meaning of home.

The first zine, “Swaray,” began in 2017 during the exhibition In Search of Common Myth, which I co-curated and coordinated in Paphos. One of the themes of the exhibition was the presence of immigrant communities in the city. While Paphos is widely known for its ancient mythology and Mediterranean landscapes, it is also shaped by contemporary migration—people who have arrived here carrying their own histories and stories.

During the preparation of the exhibition, I met Swaray, a political refugee from Sierra Leone. Through a series of conversations, he shared the story of his life: where he was born, how he grew up, and how the turmoil of the Sierra Leone Civil War forced him to leave his home in search of safety and freedom.

“Swaray” became a small black-and-white picture book that traces this journey. Rather than documenting historical events directly,

the zine uses simple drawings and narrative fragments to evoke the emotional landscape of his experience—his childhood in Sierra Leone, the disruption of war, the difficult path of migration, and the eventual arrival in Cyprus. The modest format of the zine felt important to me. It allowed the story to remain intimate, something a reader could hold and

encounter slowly, page by page.

The project stayed with me for years. The original 2017 zine was experimental and not widely printed, but the story felt unfinished.

In 2023, an opportunity arose when I participated in the Larnaca Biennale, whose theme that year was “Home: Away from Home.” The theme resonated strongly with Swaray’s story and inspired me to revisit the project. This time, I decided to properly publish the original zine and create a second book alongside it.

The new publication, “Swaray’s Home,” shifts the focus from the journey to the present moment. For this book, I interviewed both Swaray and his wife about their life in Paphos today. They spoke about building a home in a new country, raising their four children, and navigating the complex emotions of migration—missing their homeland while also appreciating the opportunities and stability they have found in Cyprus.

Their reflections reveal the layered reality of displacement. Home is no longer a single place but a network of memories, relationships, and new beginnings.

Alongside the zines, I also created a mixed-media painting depicting Swaray’s family inside their home in Paphos. The painting extends the narrative visually, portraying the warmth and everyday intimacy of family life that exists beyond the earlier story of conflict and migration. Together, the two books and the painting form a small narrative constellation: past, journey, and present.

Today, “Swaray” and “Swaray’s Home” are available as a paired set. Presented together, they offer two perspectives on the same life story—one tracing the search for freedom, the other reflecting on what it means to build a home afterward.

Swaray's Home, Mixed media on paper, 65x55 cm, 2023

For me, this project is not only about one individual’s experience. It is also about listening, translation, and empathy. Through drawing, storytelling, and collaboration, these zines attempt to hold a human story within the pages of a small book—reminding us that behind every migration narrative is a life shaped by courage, memory, and hope.