“Porta di Lampedusa – Porta d’Europa” is an art installation created by the artist Mimmo Paladino and strongly desired by Amani and Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori. It is a sculpture/monument made of refractory ceramic and galvanized iron, standing almost five meters tall and three meters long. It was inaugurated on June 28, 2008, and placed on the last promontory of the island of Lampedusa. Thanks to its entirely ceramic covering, the door absorbs and reflects light, both sunlight and moonlight, becoming a kind of beacon visible from the sea. For those arriving from Africa, it is the first visible piece of land after seeing water for hours and hours, often aboard overcrowded and dilapidated boats or dinghies, too narrow to stand in and too precarious to stay alive. Mimmo Paladino comments: “The artist should not celebrate but narrate. I tried to express something related to a forced exodus, something understandable to all peoples. That’s why I wanted the door to be as far away as possible from the inhabited center and as close as possible to the water and thus to Africa.” The artwork, for those fortunate enough to spot it from the sea after a harrowing journey, is a symbol of rebirth, of a life that becomes possible after an impossible one lived in their country of origin. It’s a life that doesn’t necessarily have to unfold in Italy, but where our country is necessarily a point of passage to often reach more prosperous and productive areas, where integration, inclusion, and work become possible. The door of Lampedusa was created as a commemorative monument for all the migrants whose journeys could not be completed, those who lost their lives and disappeared at sea. In some cases, we have information about them, while in others, they remain unseen and unknown. It represents all the shattered stories, the parents left without children, the orphaned children, the lost loves, the shattered hopes, the broken promises, and the fears that became a reality. It stands as a tribute to their struggles and the profound impact of migration on countless lives.
Indeed, the door itself is a symbol of passage, dividing a here from a there, allowing people to cross and separate. Absolutely, opening a door is a common symbol for embarking on a new chapter of one’s life, a moment of rebirth, and the possibility of salvation from everything left behind. It represents hope for a brighter future and the opportunity to embrace new opportunities and possibilities. Just like the act of physically passing through a door leads to a new space, metaphorically, it signifies moving forward into a different phase of life with optimism and anticipation for what lies ahead. And the hope of once again crossing that door, to reconnect with one’s roots, is always alive. The decision made is not driven by arrogance, but by courage and desperation: the courage to face a new country, an unfamiliar culture, and the complete absence of ties to the place; desperation because one realizes that living in those conditions is not possible, neither for oneself nor for the children who will arrive or have already arrived to brighten the journey. The project for creating an artwork to commemorate the people lost at sea was born after the discovery of the major shipwreck in Porto Palo, during Christmas 1996. The door was made possible through the donation of the artist Paladino and the contribution of approximately 35,000 euros from a Palermitan tourism company. The city council unanimously decided to position the artwork on the point of Cavallo Bianco. The people of Lampedusa have always tried to do their part, and they will continue to do so. For them, it is impossible to live on the island and forget what happens in another part of the world that is so close to them. On the day the door was inaugurated, it was unveiled after a procession in which local authorities and nationally renowned artists participated. The procession started from the streets of the town, climbed the promontory, and advanced solemnly in honor of those who died at sea, drowned just a few miles from Malta or Tripoli. On that occasion, the poet Alda Merini wrote and sent some verses, choosing the metaphor of a turtle, just like those that head to Isola dei Conigli (Rabbit Island) to lay their eggs.
