In front of the Swedish Parliament, a procession of a hundred silhouettes appears to move steadily forward. Who are they, and what stories do they carry? Displaced is an artwork consisting of life-size figures traced from original photographs from news coverage that depict civilians fleeing the war in Ukraine and the Second World War. The silhouettes are accompanied by a sound piece which conveys first hand accounts of displaced peoples in Ukrainian, Finnish, German, Russian, English, and Swedish.
The artwork is connected to the work of Fridtjof Nansen, explorer and diplomat, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his humanitarian work with displaced people after the First World War. As the League of Nations’ first High Commissioner for Refugees, he created the so-called Nansen Passport, an identity document that enabled stateless refugees to travel, work, and seek protection in other countries. Nansen’s initiatives, including the Nansen Passport, became important precursors to modern international refugee protection.
Displaced sheds light on the fatigue, despair, but also hope that follow in the wake of war and conflict. Through it’s marching silhouettes, the artwork reminds us that behind every statistic and every news headline is a human being with a life, a story, and an uncertain future.
NOBEL WEEK LIGHTS
5–13 December 2026 | 16:00–22:00
Stockholm City and Tensta
Alexander Reichstein
Reichstein has since 1990 made art for children and adults: illustrating picture books and making sculptures, leading workshops and art courses, and building up exhibitions and installations.
Since 2016, he creates light artworks and has participated in dozens of international light festivals. Reichstein has received several major Finnish arts awards, including the Finlandia Junior Prize and the Finnish State Award for the Arts.
Soundtrack: Petri Laakso
Technical assistance: Vallu Sokol, Martin Hackenberg
NOBEL WEEK LIGHTS
A light art festival inspired by the Nobel Prize
5–13 December 2026 | Free admission