The project that taught me to look beyond numbers
Meet Our Partner!
YiJian Library is a community-oriented cultural space in Shanghai built around reading, cultural exchange, and community activities. Beyond serving as a library, YiJian hosts exhibitions, talks, workshops, and other programs that bring people together through culture and ideas.
In August 2026, Help4Refugees Concordia partnered with YiJian Library to host Through Their Eyes, a student-led exhibition featuring the photography of Shahd Alswidan and writing by Nour Alrashed. The exhibition gave these stories a physical space in Shanghai, inviting visitors to look beyond the label of “refugee” and encounter the people, memories, and everyday experiences behind it. Through photography, writing, and interactive activities, the collaboration turned YiJian’s community space into a place for connection between people separated by distance and circumstance.
After the Help4Refugees Concordia team brought Shahd her camera, we decided to transform her works and another refugee, Nour's works, to a public exhibition. It is an especially special experience for both of the artists as in their own words: "dream have came true".
"I write because my soul likes that. I do not like to write empty sentences. I write something with value. I want them to see the real me, not the one who is destroyed by the earthquake. Thank you H4R Concordia team, for making my dream come true"
Nour Alrashed, Artist
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for this beautiful effect that lived in my heart because of you. Thank you for delivering my message and voice to the world."
Shahd Alswidan,
Artist
“Through their eyes, the photographs capture a quiet steadiness and reveal beauty within familiar, everyday life, leaving viewers to ponder what each photographer hoped to convey. The exhibition invites us to see beyond the photographs, not only with our eyes, but also with our hearts. It was heartwarming to witness the genuine love and kindness shared between the Help4Refugees students and their friends living across a very different world."
Jooyoung Kong, Teacher Supervisor of H4R Concordia
What people say about
Through Their Eyes
Welcome to Through Their Eyes! Visit the exhibition online with us! Start by viewing the pamphlet below to learn more about the context and the artists' stories.
Entrance of the exhibition; we designed free info pamphlets for audiences to flip through before viewing the works
Chapter II. The Light Within:
Stories of resillience, perseverance, and the quiet strength that sustain us
This wall of photos form the collection of "Through HER Eyes" by Shahd Alswidan. The works largely entails the different places Shahd had went and moments of people she captured
This wall of quotes form the collection of "Through HER Eyes" by Nour Alrashed. The works were extracted from Nour's poetry writing collection I Arrived, a book created by the team
Chapter IV. The Warmth between Us: The relationships, communities, and acts of care that help us move forward together
A flower-pot-making workshop led by Ismahan, a special refugee guest who finds meaning in gardening by transforming her children’s broken toys into pots for planting after the earthquake.
On August 30, we hosted the Artist Dialogue, where participants had the opportunity to engage directly with Shahd and Nour and hear the stories behind the work they created. Visitors were able to ask questions, learn more about their creative processes, and gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and perspectives that shaped the exhibition.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors were also able to support the project by purchasing merchandise inspired by the two artists’ work, including tote bags, postcards, bookmarks, and sticker packs. Additionally, we helped create Nour’s very first “book,” a valuable collection of her beautiful writing that preserves and shares her work with a wider audience (read below!). The profits were solely given to the two artists to showcase the public's support.
Chapter III. An Unfinished Spring: Dreams, aspirations, and futures that continue to unfold despite uncertainity
We truly hope that you will take the time to pause and flip through Nour's work. We aspire to help her words reach the whole world.