LONDON.- This March 9th through 12th, The Other Art Fair will showcase a powerful guest exhibition created by female refugee artists at the London edition of the artist-led Fair. Refugee Art Works (RAW) is presented by the Fair’s charity partner KarmaBank and features artworks created by women artists originally from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

RAW is a new multinational collective of female refugee artists & craft makers, drawn together for mutual support & creative development. Through RAW, KarmaBank provides micro grants to help displaced artists fleeing war and other abuses re-establish themselves. KarmaBank helps people in need through inspiring creative projects, food & wellbeing support, advocacy, emergency response, & working collaboratively with partners for maximum social impact.

Amongst the represented artists you’ll find Sumayyah who, with the guidance of KarmaBank, has recently been accepted to study at the Slade School of Fine Art. Sumayyah’s drawings are a tool to express her emotions, she also takes her art off the page and is currently developing her skills in tattooing. Seeking Asylum is a journey that has allowed her the freedom to build on her creativity and live her life to the fullest. It gave her the opportunity to have a choice and decide for herself as she likes. Most women in her homeland of Saudi Arabia are deprived from their basic human rights, and are under the control of their male guardian.

Samira is an Afghan artist developing her life in the UK as a settled refugee. Specialising in miniaturist and calligraphy art, Samira has been honoured by King Charles, John Kerry, and has exhibited work at the V&A and the Smithsonian. Fleeing from Afghanistan in 2016, Samira misses her parents but has been unable to return home, fearing for her life if she does.

‘I founded the Maftah-e Hunar Centre to train young, deprived women to become artists and make a living. Part of the proceeds of the art I make now funds underground schools for women who are no longer allowed to be educated in my home country.’ - Samira Mariia is a Ukranian psychologist and artist with refugee status here in the UK. An integral part of KarmaBank is to provide a community led by its members, Mariia exemplifies this by becoming one of the de facto coordinators of the charity, offering therapy workshops to fellow refugees and the public, despite facing her own challenges in rebuilding her life and avoiding homelessness when the Homes for Ukraine scheme ended.

Sumayyah, Samira and Mariia and are just three of the refugee artists to view and support at The Other Art Fair London this March. The RAW stand is curated for KarmaBank by the artist Caroline Burraway.

Celebrated for its unexpected take on the traditional art fair experience TOAF offers switched-on Londoners the chance to buy artwork directly from over 150 incredible emerging talents. In celebration of March’s International Women’s Day, the Fair is proud to present an impressive 61% female line-up, championing some of the most exciting emerging female talents working today, continuing its ongoing mission to strive for gender parity in the art world.

The Fair continues its mission to reframe art, and how it is enjoyed; offering a fair that is inclusive, evocative, and inspiring, with a vibrant programme of exciting features, guest exhibitions, immersive installations, live poetry readings and DJs.