A museum is generally a symbol of stability, structure and ideas approved by the hegemonic culture. The artist critically uses a curatorial practice to insert a peripheral subject into the mainstream narrative, in order to set the ground for a discussion. The museum is thus expropriated from the establishment and becomes a temporary vehicle of protest.

The refugee story unraveled here depicts a concrete reality, but does so in a surreal manner, which undermines preconceptions. The artworks, which invite visitors to view a complex reality, draw on true stories, yet allow themselves to rise above their documentary content in order to raise awareness to the refugee experience.

Transmitting knowledge through dioramas, a common practice in museums of natural history and anthropology, was widespread in the Colonial era; its purpose was to acquaint the public with exotic sights and discoveries. In the Portable Museum of Refugees, the diorama serves as a bait to hook the viewer. It lures us to catch a glimpse of a supposedly remote world, but in fact confronts us with an acute local social problem.