To leave room for the others

Photo of installation "To leave room for the others" is an artwork that I have developed during my residency stay at Artegiro Contemporary ART. I was driven by the story, a historical fact of the region, which occurred in 19th century, but regardless of time, it’s constantly repeating until today’s time across the world.

Italian migrants, from the village Conzano in the hills on Monferato have had to migrate to Australia in the late 19th century in order to earn bread for their families as sugarcane cutters and the statement left by many in the passport was "To Leave Room for the Others".

Symbolic scene of an abundant, central, gathering spot in a house, a dining table, represents unpleasant feelings left after family members have split and scattered abroad in their struggle against poverty while striving to preserve their basic human rights and dignity. This scene symbolically shows the consequence of such struggle which many people are continuously fighting throughout the history.

Turbulent political circumstances often bring certain parts of a community into the situation to lose their right to live modest life out of its work and ability to preserve their cultural heritage and values.

Installation "To leave room for the others" should serve just as a reminder for what happened through. It should also be a call for compassion and a lesson for a present events and therefore for the future one.