Visual Storytelling, Texture and Ideology in Simon Pemberton’s “Refugees”

Visual Storytelling, Texture and Ideology in Simon Pemberton’s “Refugees”

The image analysed in this essay is Simon Pemberton’s mixed-media collage artwork “Refugees”, created for a New York Times opinion piece titled “Uprooted, Stateless and Alone”. I selected this work because of my own interest in mixed media, mark-making and collage as methods of communicating emotion and narrative within visual practice.

What immediately stands out in Pemberton’s work is the emotional quality created through texture, fragmentation and layering. The image does not simply document displacement; it attempts to visually communicate instability, trauma and uncertainty through its material qualities. This is what makes the piece particularly effective as a form of visual storytelling.

The title itself establishes a strong conceptual framework. The word “uprooted” carries connotations of being forcibly removed from place, identity and belonging. Pemberton reflects this visually through the silhouettes of houses that appear fractured and eroded. Areas of paint are scratched away to reveal darker layers beneath, creating textures that resemble wounds, cuts or damage within the landscape itself.

These marks and distressed surfaces become part of the meaning of the work. The uneven scratches, fragmented forms and layered textures communicate emotional instability and violence without relying on literal representation. Through mark-making alone, the viewer begins to feel tension, disruption and loss.

The word “alone” suggests isolation and singularity, while the title “Refugees” broadens the context to entire groups and families. The term “stateless” becomes particularly significant because it implies uncertainty, displacement and the absence of belonging. The refugees are no longer anchored to a stable identity, nation or home. Their journey remains unresolved.

Marxist theory can also be applied to the work through the use of binary opposites and implied power structures. Marx believed society functioned through systems shaped by class divisions, where the bourgeoisie benefited from the labour of the proletariat. Pemberton visually reflects these imbalances through scale, position and atmosphere.

The small grounded figures contrast with the large floating head that dominates the composition. This creates a visual hierarchy between the vulnerable figures below and the oppressive force above. Additional binary opposites emerge throughout the image: grounded versus floating, powerless versus powerful, peace versus violence, stability versus chaos.

The black floating figure appears almost faceless, emerging from darkness and aggressive directional brushstrokes. The open mouth suggests screaming or command, while the red marks resemble blood spray or violence. These visual signs create an atmosphere of threat and instability. Nature itself appears disrupted, with directional strokes resembling wind or environmental destruction.

Pemberton’s use of abstraction allows emotion to become central to interpretation. Rather than documenting a specific event realistically, he constructs a symbolic emotional landscape that encourages viewers to empathise with displacement and fear.

Althusser’s theories on ideology and oppression also offer an interesting perspective when analysing this work. Althusser argued that ideology is reinforced through institutions and systems that shape how individuals perceive reality. He also distinguished between ideology and oppressive state structures that maintain power.

Within Pemberton’s work, the floating figure can be interpreted as a symbolic oppressor. Its elevated position above the refugees visually reinforces ideas of control, domination and surveillance. The facelessness of the figure allows it to become more universal — representing systems of power rather than one identifiable individual.

The image becomes highly effective because it combines emotional storytelling with ideological critique. The textures, marks and fragmented composition all contribute to a visual language of instability and displacement. The viewer is encouraged not only to observe the image aesthetically, but to question the social and political realities behind it.

Overall, Pemberton’s “Refugees” demonstrates how mixed media and collage can communicate emotion in deeply powerful ways. The work successfully combines texture, symbolism and composition to explore themes of displacement, fear, conflict and identity. Through semiotics, Marxist theory and visual analysis, the image reveals how visual communication can shape emotional understanding and political awareness simultaneously.

This analysis also influenced my own creative practice because it reinforced the idea that emotion can be communicated through material choices, mark-making and composition as much as through literal imagery. The work demonstrates how visual language can encourage empathy, reflection and critical questioning — qualities that continue to shape how I think about storytelling and design today.

Author: Marie-Jane Mannion/Fennessy. Submitted originally 26th November 2021.

Bibliography

Althusser, Louis. (1972) Lenin and Philosophy, and Other Essays. Translated by Ben Brewster. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Cothern, M. & D’Alleva, A. (2021) Methods & Theories of Art History. Third Edition. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Sturken, M. & Cartwright, L. (2005) Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. New York: Oxford University Press.