© Andrew McConnell.

June 18th at The Half King join Andrew and the International Rescue Committee for a short film and slideshow from “Hidden Lives: The Untold Story of Urban Refugees.” The event starts at 6:30 and will change your notions not only of refugees but of the people you live amidst in NYC.

Andrew documented this new reality for refugees in eight cities across four continents. He will discuss how the project was conceived and share insights into the lives of those fleeing conflict and disaster.

p.s. Andrew’s “Ghosts of the Sahara” at The Half King back in April 2011 was our best-selling show and the pictures in “Hidden Lives” are equally stunning in how they present a basic concept: that individual people, caught up in the isolating forces of history, possess enormous dignity and strength. Please RSVP by June 14 to: Events@Rescue.org or call 888 364 5975.

© Diana Markosian. Chechen dancers backstage at a concert hall in the Chechen capital, Grozny. A suicide bomb attack at the concert hall in 2009 killed five people.

Diana’s story, which ran on Foto8, the London gallery web site, looks at women and girls growing up in a Chechnya that imposes an ever-stricter Islamic culture on its people. This is the body of work we’re exhibiting at The Half King come September—and we’re delighted that Diana will be with us opening night for a discussion.