Aliens Welcome: Public Art at Matera 2019 Station

Mimmo Rubino and Andrea Nolè installed the public artwork 'Aliens Welcome' at the Ferrandina-Scalo Matera station in Basilicata, Italy, as part of Matera European Capital of Culture 2019. The piece, a corten steel sign reading 'ALIENS WELCOME' in Futura Bold font, is mounted on the station facade. Curated by Momart and supported by the Matera 2019 foundation, the work plays with themes of otherness, migration, and local history. The station, activated in 1975 and renovated in 2005, is the only rail link to Matera. The artists, both born in Potenza, reference Orson Welles' 1938 'War of the Worlds' broadcast and the nearby SPRAR refugee center, dismantled under the 2018 Security Decree. The work blends conceptual art, branding, and social media appeal.