Inlimbo Embassy

cocept by Manon van Hoeckel
www.inlimboembassy.org

In Limbo Embassy is a traveling embassy for and by asylum seekers 'in limbo': those who are caught between two stools. These refugees, acting as ambassadors, invite visitors to talk about their situation. Refugees often do not feel represented by their own embassy or by the media. In Limbo Embassy is a neutral meeting place that travels to people, creating direct contact between citizens and asylum seekers. The mobile embassy provides the opportunity for dialogue, debate and cultural exchange on an equal footing.

Printed Matters, part of In Limbo Embassy, questions the way in which way refugees can contribute to society. Refugees "in limbo" are not permitted to work. Yet the right of freedom of press does allow them to carry out work in the shape of printed matter, which they can sell in the public sphere. The vague boundary between art and what can be defined as labour provides an opening for the asylum seekers to work, thanks to to the freedom of expression. Printed Matters, a series of silkscreened official portraits and an orchestrated screen-printing scene, shows how the gray zones in the legal system create opportunities for refugees to contribute to society.