Yellow Brick Road Rough Terrain

The piece I chose to work on in the Half Baked Art Collaboration is named Yellow Brick Road in Rough Terrain. When I first saw it I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz. I learned that many refugees in those camps arrived as young adults and ended up as grandparents without ever leaving the confinements. The yellow brick road in the artwork seemed to me as a pathway to get out of the prison they were trapped in. The higher part of the road is a bright place where people aren’t trapped in camps. The road descends into darkness, which represents the camp and dwindling freedom. I decided to add some word bubbles to show cries of help from the refugee camp while the people who have freedom ignore them. I wanted to show the stark contrast between the two places and highlight the yellow brick road that leads from one end to the other. Caroline Gao United States

Member of the My Start Art Collective Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya