Aesthetic Citizenship and the Violence of Beauty

Beauty is political. It affects how bodies are perceived and cared for by institutions, communities, and the state. It is not enough to hold legal rights; one must look like a “good citizen”.

Whose presence is legitimate? Who is human enough to grieve? Which bodies are recognised as citizens, and who may be discarded without mourning?

This workshop examines how aesthetic norms operate as systems of social control, granting legitimacy to some while denying humanity to others. Through creative reflection, participants will explore how bodily presentation influences the treatment, protection, and dignity of those navigating displacement or migration.

In collaboration with Unruly Beauty

Curated hosted in partnership with Hekayyatna

The London Migration Film Festival, which is holding its 10th annual edition from 27 November-3 December 2025, aims to challenge the narrow rhetoric on migration that often sees migration, and people on the move, framed in reductive and dehumanising binaries.