UNHCR and Melissa Network open Seeking Sanctuaries joint exhibition at Beehive cultural space, marking 75 years of the Refugee Convention

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Melissa Network warmly invite you to the opening of Seeking Sanctuaries: Stories of Movement, Acts of Welcome, a joint photo exhibition hosted at Beehive, Melissa Network’s cultural space in Athens, from 22 July to 18 October 2026.

The opening will take place on Wednesday, 22 July, at 19:30 at Beehive (Metsovou 10, Athens) with an evening of visual storytelling, music and film. The programme includes a guided tour of the exhibition, a performance by vocalist Aggeliki Toubanaki with Polyphony Melissa, and a screening of Allies in Exile, a 40-minute documentary by Syrian filmmaker Hasan Kattan, at Fatima and Halima’s small summer cinema in the Beehive courtyard.

Seeking Sanctuaries brings together Enri Canaj’s Say Goodbye Before You Leave photo collection and rare photographic material from UNHCR’s archives, connecting contemporary refugee journeys — from Syria and the Sahara to Lampedusa, the Aegean, Moria and Idomeni — within the broader history of forced flight, international protection and humanitarian response.

The opening evening will also feature Allies in Exile, which follows two Syrian filmmakers shaped by war as they use friendship and storytelling to survive exile and reflect on the meaning of asylum and sanctuary. The film was produced with the support of the Displacement Film Fund, an initiative launched at the Global Refugee Forum and spearheaded by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett, with UNHCR being a strategic partner, while it was co-produced by Counterpoints Arts.

From September, the exhibition will be accompanied by discussions on what sanctuary means today and how the future of refugee protection can be shaped. It will also be open to school visits and educational programmes.

Visiting hours:

Beehive, 10 Metsovou Str., Athens
22 July - 18 October 2026
Opening hours (July): Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 - 17:00
Opening hours (August): Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 12:00 - 17:00
Opening hours for the following months will be announced through Melissa’s social media channels.

*The opening event on 22 July will be held in English, with no interpretation provided.

About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, protects people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We protect millions of people by responding with life-saving support, safeguarding fundamental human rights and helping them build a better future. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a landmark agreement adopted on 28 July 1951, in the aftermath of the Second World War, affirming the right of people forced to flee to seek safety and protection. The Convention remains the foundation of international refugee protection and of UNHCR’s mandate as its guardian. Seventy-five years on, its promise remains as vital as ever: to protect those forced to flee and uphold the rights and values that safeguard us all.

About Melissa Network and Beehive
Melissa Network was founded in 2014 with the direct involvement of migrant and refugee women leaders as an open beehive of communication, creativity and exchange. Based in Athens, it provides a safe space of support, learning and creativity, promoting women’s rights, advocacy, integration and active citizenship. With members from more than 50 countries, it builds bridges between ethnic communities and the host society, creating synergies within and beyond Greece. The Beehive is a new art and community space, created by Melissa Network. Located in a restored interwar school, the Beehive is a living extension of Melissa’s work over the past decade: a space of care, creativity and community.