Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow



Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow (Traceability is Credibility) is a conceptual art and research project created by Bryan McCormack in September 2016. The project encompasses drawings by thousands of individuals, social media installation arts, as well as educational and community projects in partnership with several universities in Europe. Its focus is the European refugee crisis.

Creator
Bryan McCormack, born on September 15, 1972, in Dublin, is an Irish contemporary artist and activist known for his exploration of social subject matter. Over the past fifteen years, McCormack has exhibited his work in more than 30 group and solo exhibitions. Currently, he resides and works in Paris, France.

The driving force behind all of his works is the belief that art has the power to directly impact society and achieve social change.

Development


Since 2016, McCormack has been actively engaged in a project that involves visiting centers, squats, and refugee camps in 11 countries across Europe and North Africa, including Morocco. In collaboration with a team of volunteers, he works closely with refugees, encouraging them to create three drawings that represent different aspects of their lives. The first drawing depicts their life before leaving their home country (Yesterday), the second represents their current circumstances (Today), and the third envisions their imagined future (Tomorrow). The drawings have been shared through the project's social media accounts.

Exhibitions


Several hundred of these refugee drawings, along with multidisciplinary installation art inspired by the stories the drawings depict, were shown in Italy at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini during the May 2017 Venice Biennale. This installation was in conjunction with a performance curated by the artist and Dr. Henry Bell, alongside 40 students from Sheffield Hallam University.