Alex Urso's 'Grand Hotel Europa' Critiques EU Migration Crisis

Alex Urso (b. 1987) presents 'Grand Hotel Europa' at the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Ustka, Poland, through May 31, 2019. The exhibition, previously shown in Belgrade, combines drawings, collages, and sculptures to critique the European Union's handling of the migration crisis and rising nationalism. Urso's work is informed by political and economic data, filtered through his artistic sensibility. A key series of collages juxtaposes the Refugee Nation flag—used for stateless athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics—with national flags of EU member states exhibiting anti-European tendencies. The artist's perspective is shaped by his experiences in the Balkans and Eastern European borderlands. The exhibition also features vintage postcards of Grand Hotels across Europe, symbolizing a bygone era of cosmopolitanism. Urso's research-based practice engages with local contexts and populations, as seen in his earlier work in Serbia, which has become a major transit country for migrants since 2015. The show is supported by meticulous research and aims to raise awareness about political crises and humanitarian issues.