Sea see

Sea See is a poignant exploration of the issue of refugee pushbacks. This work follows the artist’s 2023 piece, Look for Yourself: The Human Rights Graveyard, as part of an ongoing series addressing the political and humanitarian crisis surrounding the forced return of refugees by Greek authorities.

From March 2020 to 2022, research by Forensic Architecture documented 1,018 cases of refugee pushbacks by Greek authorities, revealing a pattern of escalating violence. During this period, these illegal practices resulted in 11 deaths, 4 individuals reported missing, and 26 instances where refugees were thrown into the sea by the coast guard. While these years represent the focus of the research, such practices are part of a broader, ongoing strategy employed by Greek authorities against refugees.

On June 4, 2023, one of the largest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean occurred 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos, in international waters under Greece’s search-and-rescue jurisdiction. Over 600 people tragically drowned. Survivors of the Pylos shipwreck claim that the Greek coast guard attempted a failed towing operation aimed at redirecting the vessel toward Italian waters, causing the ship to tilt abruptly and sink.