A new sculptural exhibition by Ukrainian-born artist Alena Bezushko, who now calls Wishaw home, is set to debut at Refugee Festival Scotland. Titled 'The Odyssey: A Journey to the Self,' the exhibition combines ceramic, clay, burnt wood, metal, and light to honor humanity's inner strength and resilience.
Exhibition Details
Free to visit from June 17 to 21 at Glasgow's Civic House, 'The Odyssey' aims to break down barriers and celebrate empathy and human connection. It explores the psychological journey of displacement, survival, and the search for belonging.
Visitors will encounter a sequence of distinct sculptural objects, each representing a different stage of Homer's epic poem, reinterpreted through the lived experience of displacement. Themes include identity, isolation, stagnation, loss, and resilience.
Artist's Vision
Alena explained: 'Odyssey is a metaphor for a long, difficult journey – a story about exploring your path, confronting challenges, and searching for your true self. Every human being goes through their own odyssey in life, and through this exhibition I hope every visitor will have the opportunity to reflect on that.'
'Ultimately, it is about returning to your own soul and finding your inner home, no matter what storms you have had to live through. I hope visitors to the exhibition recognise the real person with stories, pain and strength, behind the word refugee.'
Materials and Symbolism
Alena works with ceramic and clay, shaping forms with her hands, as well as metal and wood. She said: 'I can put my thoughts and emotions straight into the material I use. Since clay comes from the earth, working with it gives me a powerful sense of grounding.'
Her work incorporates wood gathered from the Aberdeenshire coast, weathered by the sea and elements, covered in barnacles and seashells. These have been scorched and combined with other materials to create part of the exhibition, symbolising the process of transformation when forced from home.
Personal Journey
Alena continued: 'This exhibition is deeply personal and symbolic for me. It is about my own feelings, my emotions, and my personal journey of trying to find my place in a new country.'
'Leaving Ukraine was a very hard experience where I felt like I lost my identity and was no longer myself. It is like uprooting an old tree and putting it into completely new soil - my art reflects this painful process of rebuilding my identity and trying to take root in Scotland, using my work to heal.'
'Art has become my primary language – it is a universal language that doesn't need a dictionary. Creating these sculptures allows me to speak metaphorically and express heavy feelings and emotions that are too difficult to put into words.'
Significance of Refugee Festival Scotland
For Alena, being part of the hundreds of events across Scotland for this year's Refugee Festival Scotland is significant, marking a milestone moment in being a New Scot. She hopes to help people relate to the journey and for other refugees to feel seen and less alone.
Alena said: 'To present this work as part of Refugee Festival Scotland means everything to me because it is my first exhibition, and it gives me a beautiful feeling that I can finally bring something meaningful into the world.'
'It is the perfect, safe space to share my truth and my story. Most of all, it is a physical way of connecting with my new home in Scotland. Having a platform like this is incredibly important because it changes how the world sees refugees. It allows people to see our hearts, our talents, and our dreams, gives us our voices back, breaks down barriers, and helps us build a kinder, shared future together.'
'The Odyssey: A Journey to the Self' will be on display from June 17 to 21. Visit refugeefestivalscotland.co.uk for more information.
