Mar 15th 2018

Magnus Wennman: Where the Children Sleep

@ Illinois Holocaust Museum

9603 Woods Drive in Skokie, IL 60077

Opening Thursday, March 15th, from 10AM - 8PM

On view through Sunday, September 16th

ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER PRESENTS
CHICAGO DEBUT OF POWERFUL WHERE THE CHILDREN SLEEP EXHIBITION

(January 2018 — CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center proudly presents Where the Children Sleep, a provocative multi-media exhibit featuring powerful photos and film of Syrian refugee children in Europe and the Middle East by award-winning Swedish photojournalist Magnus Wennman. Where the Children Sleep serves as a wake-up call; not only documenting a contemporary human rights crisis but also inviting visitors to take a stand for children’s rights. The exhibition has its Chicago debut at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Drive in Skokie, IL, from Thursday, March 15 – September 16, 2018.

Using the powerful photography of sleeping Syrian children in Lebanon, Hungary, and other countries in Europe and the Middle East, Where the Children Sleep invites its viewers to learn about the conditions faced by these children, forced from their homes, as they await an uncertain future. The exhibition is comprised of the photography of award-winning Swedish photographer Magnus Wennman, accompanied by biographical text that turns them from statistics into people. Bringing the story to life, the exhibition also includes a short film that profiles one of the refugee children.

The exhibition coincides with the 7th anniversary of the conflict in Syria, which has claimed more than 480,000 lives, left over half the country’s pre-war population, 13.1 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance, and forced over five million refugees to flee the country. Half of those uprooted are children. Wennman’s photos, many of which have been published in media around the world, offer a rare and personal glimpse into the living conditions of the most vulnerable within the refugee population – children.

Magnus Wennman, 38, has been working as a photojournalist since the age of 17 when he started his career with a local Swedish newspaper, DalaDemokraten. Since 2001, he has worked as a staff photographer on Scandinavia’s biggest daily paper, Aftonbladet. Wennman concentrates mainly on news and feature stories and has worked in more than 60 countries around the world. He has won prestigious photo awards, both in Sweden and internationally, including four World Press Photo awards, 16 Picture of the Year international awards, 11 NPPAs Best of Journalism awards, and 47 Swedish Picture of the Year awards. He has been awarded “Photojournalist of the year” in Sweden four times.

Where the Children Sleep is produced by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in collaboration with Fotografiska- The Swedish Museum of Photography, in order to raise awareness about the plight of Syrian refugees. The Museum’s Women’s Leadership Committee is a contributing sponsor, and the Golder Family Foundation is lead sponsor for all Museum special exhibitions.

About Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, located at 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL, honors the Survivors and victims of the Holocaust and transforms history into current, relevant, and universal lessons in humanity. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, the Museum inspires individuals and organizations and provides a universal wake-up call to action: Take history to heart. Take a stand for humanity. The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings until 8:00 p.m. Learn more at https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/.

Photo: Lamar, 5 by Magnus Wennman

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