How AN Omani contemporary artist challenges views on migration

In an era where movement across borders has become both a necessity and a crisis, art continues to serve as a powerful lens through which to explore the multifaceted narratives of migration. A striking new exhibition invites viewers to pause, reflect and feel — not just see — the silent stories that migration leaves behind. Central to this evocative display is Raqiya al Maamari’s installation “The Final Standstill”, a profound meditation on the emotional landscape of displacement, told through the quiet language of signs and whispers.
This installation transforms what we typically see on the roads into a contemplative space within a gallery. Instead of hurriedly flashing traffic instructions, the work features a cluster of battered stop signs, their once-clear directives repurposed to serve as existential markers of emotional paralysis.
Paired with six suspended headphones whispering personal migrant stories, these signs beckon visitors to slow down, listen deeply and confront the often-overlooked emotional residues of migration.
Raqiya, an Omani artist whose background began in digital design, has moved into both conceptual and humanitarian art — an evolution driven by her desire to expand the narrative of migration beyond the clichés of boats and borders. She describes her work as “a wider stage”, a means to interrogate the slow unraveling of presence, the pauses and repressed dreams that are part of every migrant’s journey.
“I wanted to depict not just the act of leaving but the echo of what’s left behind — the silence, the fears, the hopes that can’t be spoken aloud”, she explains. Her installation is neither literal nor literalistic. Instead, it is an immersive reflection on the fragments of memory, the moments of dislocation and loss that linger long after the physical journey.

The powerful use of the stop signs in her installation shifts their usual role as traffic signals — instruments of order and movement — into symbols of existential stasis. Her “migrants” are tired bodies, exhausted and fatigued, caught in a never-ending state of waiting or suspension. The headphones whisper six individual stories, each a fragment of a life interrupted, a hope deferred and a journey that cannot be fully completed.
Just as Raqiya’s work invites reflection, it also aligns with a global artistic movement dedicated to illuminating migration’s deeper, often neglected narratives. Artists like Palestinian creator Emily Jacir have used their work to convey the aspirations and regrets of exiled populations. Jacir’s “Where We Come From” gives voice to those who remain longing for a homeland never fully lost — or a place they can never return to.
Similarly, Ai Weiwei’s renowned “Law of the Journey” presents a hauntingly monumental scene: a 70-metre-long boat filled with faceless refugee figures, symbolic of the mass displacement that defines our times. His approach—research-driven, provocative, visceral—forces viewers to confront the scale and brutality of forced migration. The Chinese artist’s work reminds us that migration is not merely a personal story but a collective trauma etched into the very fabric of global society.
These artists, juxtaposed with Raqiya’s subtle yet visceral installation, form a compelling chorus of voices asking hard questions. Why do borders often symbolise more than just physical barriers? What does it mean to belong when entire communities are uprooted, displaced, or exiled? And why has this moment in history seen migration take on such heightened urgency?
Contemporary art’s engagement with migration has become more than a reflection — it’s a form of activism, an act of remembrance and a challenge to complacency. Through their work, artists provoke us to reconsider migration not as a straightforward movement from A to B but as a complex web of standstills, fears, memories and hopes.
Raqiya’s installation pushes the viewer to dwell in this ambiguity. It resists offering neat resolutions or clear narratives; instead, it invites a collective pause. In a society where migration is often reduced to headlines or political debates, this work calls for a pause — to listen, to feel and to remember.
In doing so, the installation underscores a vital truth: migration is no longer just a matter of individual stories. It has become central to understanding human identity in the 21st century. As crises of displacement proliferate, art that confronts these realities — like Raqiya’s — becomes an essential catalyst for empathy and awareness. It reminds us that behind every headline and statistic lies a silent story, waiting to be heard.
And in this quiet, profound listening, perhaps we find a pathway towards greater understanding — one stop sign at a time.