Issam: the child who keeps looking for his lost friends

More than 51,000 children have disappeared in Europe in recent years. This image of Issam, a young refugee without parents, reminds us of the invisible stories of children that often get beyond our view. Issam counts - but his counting is not a game. He is looking for the friends he lost along the way, each with their own story of hope and loss.

Still at S.M.A.K. until 5.Jan.2025, the artwork stands to raise questions about what it means to be vulnerable in a world full of borders and systems. Issam's attitude, innocent and playful, contrasts sharply with the harsh reality he is part of: the search for safety, for belonging, for a future.

With this statue, the organisation Vluchtelingenwerk wants to make people aware of the thousands of young people like Issam who are walking an uncertain path in Europe. Each of them deserves a safe home, security, and a protective network that embraces them. Issam keeps counting, hoping to find his lost friends again - a silent appeal to all of us to see what is often invisible, to be touched, and perhaps to take action too.