Exodus

About

With this exhibition, the artist continues his personal investigation on human beings. As a starting point, Franco has asked himself a simple question: are people’s choices driven by curiosity, interest or necessity? With a great sense of empathy, Franco has given life to this installation that aims to represent the journey of migrants through time and space. Their stories, their hopes, their lives.

With this exhibition, the artist continues his personal investigation on human beings. As a starting point, Franco has asked himself a simple question: are people’s choices driven by curiosity, interest or necessity? With a great sense of empathy, Franco has given life to this installation that aims to represent the journey of migrants through time and space. Their stories, their hopes, their lives.

“In the last years, we have been witnessing the landing of migrants on Italian coast from Africa and other Mediterranean countries. These people desperately try to flee from war and starvation. Too often, their exodus turns into a tragedy and men, women and children die in the attempt to reach a land that was supposed to be safe. Most people have a hard time facing and accepting it, including myself”, says Franco Nonnis. “Since 2015, I have been working on a project called FUGA (ESCAPE), to tell the stories behind many refugees. At the same time, I wanted to denounce the inadequacy of the Italian political class and the fact that our country was also becoming a land to escape from. Too many young Italians are in fact leaving their home country in the attempt to find abroad the opportunity to build a better future. Denying someone’s future or hope is simply unacceptable”.

To give life to this installation, Franco delved also into his origins, into the stories of his ancestors and friends. People who faced difficulties and deprivation, but still maintained their ethos and found strength in their memories and in the need to pass them on the new generations. Those people and their choices made Franco what he is today. Those people are the inhabitants of Franco’s home village, Desulo, a place in the mountains of Gennargentu in Sardinia, whose name reminds of the Latin world “exulis” (exile).

EXODUS is a story of a journey for a better future.

“Given how politically contentious the issues of immigration and EU free movement have become, this exhibition can be also seen as a contribution to the debate on Brexit” say the gallery directors Cristina Cellini Antonini and Chiara Canal, both Italians living in London for many years, “We trust that through Art, we will be able to suggest another interesting angle on a very hot topic”.

The exhibition is supported by the town of Desulo (Italy).