The List, a work by Turkish artist Banu Cennetoğlu detailing the names of the migrants and refugees who have died in or trying to reach Europe, has been removed from its exhibition site as part of the Liverpool Biennial, The Guardian reports. It was printed out on posters and installed on hoardings surrounding a building site, with the permission of the developers. Though some people suggested it might have been a council worker, who would have mistaken the work for illegal flyposters, the city council said they were ‘100% sure’ it wasn’t done by someone from the local authority. With very limited information to go on, the Biennial is asking on Twitter for anyone with information to come forward.
The list is compiled and updated every year by the United for Intercultural Action, tracing information relating to the deaths of 34,361 refugees and migrants who have lost their lives within or on the borders of Europe since 1993. Cennetoğlu has been working with them since 2007, producing translated and up-to-date versions that she has been disseminating in public spaces like billboards, transport networks and newspapers internationally. In June, The Guardian published the latest version of The List as a supplement to mark World Refugee Day.
In a statement, the biennial said the work was of critical importance and said they were doing everything they can to reinstate it.
2 August 2018
