The vessel, symbolising all landings in Italy, has been turned into a special work of art by the famous Greek sculptor Costas Varostos. It will be a symbol of acceptance and solidarity between people
TIRANA, Jan. 27 – Otranto, the most eastern city of Italy and symbol of the Mediterranean, will have a new work of modern art called “The Landing, for Migrant Humanity”. The artwork was unveiled on Sunday January 29 in the port of the city. The work itself is the Kater I Rades, the Albanian boat that clashed with a ship of the Italian navy in 1997 in the Strait of Otranto with 120 people on board. Only 34 people survived the accident, 57 died, most of them women and children and 24 bodies were never found. That vessel, symbolising all landings in Italy, has been turned into a special work of art by the famous Greek sculptor Costas Varostos. It will be a symbol of acceptance and solidarity between people. This incredible reconstruction and recreation has been made possible by the tenacity of a humanitarian organisation, Integra, of the parents of the victims, the Municipality of Otranto, the Council Office for Youth Policies and the Mediterranean Cultural Institute of the Province of Lecce. The Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean has given strong support to the project, organising an international workshop together with the Artemisia organisation, with eight young artists coming in from various European countries. They have organised a real journey of “research” and “discovery” into the artwork. The Permanent Conference of the Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM) has supported the initiative as media-partner, giving publicity to the project and working together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Italian Committee for Refugees (CIR). Today this project aims to be a starting point for the creation of an international atelier where creativity and migration come together through a programme of art, workshops, seminars and debates, meant to generate a widespread network of relations and activities. (ANSAmed).
