Sébastien Cuvelier

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About me

hi/stories2019-2020
“It is a choice, a humanist method, to dive into the stories of these people by way of their own stories — to focus on the places they like in their new life as well as on the ‘places’ of their body (face, gaze, hand, hair). This attention to the real space occupied by the body, its image, its staging, this anchoring in the present allows the viewer to travel to places that are otherwise abstract, while grasping the explicit and implicit links that bind them to the people who reveal themselves by accepting the photographer’s proposal.”

— Sofia Eliza Bouratsis, essay
The word "refugee" evokes a range of assumptions, shaped by geography, social background, education, and political views. These perceptions often rely on clichés or misconceptions, feeding a broader misunderstanding of migration—a phenomenon central to our shared history.

Over the course of a year, through associations supported by the Mateneen ("together") programme, I met many refugees who had recently arrived in Luxembourg, some just days ago, others months or years earlier. From these encounters, I chose to follow five individuals more closely. Each story unfolded at its own rhythm, shaped by their personality and experiences.

These five stories reflect both unique journeys and a collective narrative: Farnaz, rooted in the poetry of Shiraz; Nisreen, torn from her beloved Palestine; Yannick, haunted by Cameroon’s colonial legacy; Khalid, wary of the water he had to cross to get to Europe; and Yasha, holding onto his Christian faith in a Muslim country. There are as many stories as there are refugees. Here are five, ordinary and extraordinary at once. 

Exhibition
Mateneen, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg, 2020

The images were also shown in various schools across Luxembourg and abroad, together with a pedagogical file explaining the project.

Book
Mateneen, Oeuvre de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, 2020