A New Chapter: From a Refugee to an Aspiring Artist

When Reza Sharifi arrived in Serbia as an unaccompanied child in 2017, he carried with him only dreams — of safety, belonging and a future he could build for himself.

Today, Reza is in his final year at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, studying painting. He is one of the first refugees in Serbia to gain access to higher education, an achievement made possible through the country's commitment to inclusion and through scholarships like the DAFI programme that offers refugee students the possibility to earn a university degree in their country of asylum or home country.

“For a long time, I couldn’t travel,” says Reza. “But when I finally could, it meant everything.”

Thanks to the travel document issued under the UN Refugee Convention, which Serbia began providing to refugees in 2024, Reza was able to leave the country for the first time. Alongside his university colleagues, he visited France, Austria and Germany — seeing Van Gogh’s original paintings, works he had admired only from afar.

The journey was more than a trip. It was a moment of transformation.

Walking through the halls of Europe's greatest museums, Reza felt something shift inside him. “There are stories that everyone understands,” he says. Seeing Van Gogh’s paintings in person helped him realize that art has the power to connect people across cultures, histories and experiences — a discovery that continues to shape his own journey as an artist.

Through his paintings, Reza often expresses personal stories and memories of hardship — a reflection of his past and the resilience that carried him forward. Yet Serbia, he says, has become his home.

“I feel like I am on my own land. I have wonderful friends whom I respect and who respect me. That truly means a lot.”

After eight years in Serbia, Reza is optimistic about his future. With a smile, he says, “Maybe I’ll become the most famous painter, who knows?”

For Reza, and for so many others who have been forced to flee, education, opportunity and the chance to belong are not just dreams — they are a new beginning.

This article was produced within the project “EU Support to Migration Management: Fostering the Integration of Refugees and Migrants” implemented by UNHCR Serbia in partnership with IOM Serbia and the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migration with support of the European Union. The author of the article is solely responsible for the content that does not necessarily reflect the official views of the European Union.