Giovanni De Gara's 'Eldorado' Installation at Palermo's Waldensian Church

Italian artist Giovanni De Gara (born 1977 in Florence) has brought his installation 'Eldorado' to the Waldensian Church in Palermo, Sicily, as of early October 2018. The work consists of thermal blankets—typically used for first aid of migrants—covering the three wooden doors of the church's neo-Gothic facade, creating a golden shimmer that evokes both the mystical and alchemical symbolism of gold and the themes of migration, hospitality, and solidarity. The installation was previously shown at the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte in Florence (June 2018), the Santa Maria Assunta parish in Pistoia, and on October 3, 2018—World Day of Memory and Hospitality—at the Church of San Gerlando and the Sanctuary of Madonna di Porto Salvo in Lampedusa. The Waldensian Church, built between 1925 and 1927 by architect Emilio Decker, is known for its progressive stance and active involvement in migrant integration, including co-creating the 'Humanitarian Corridors' project with the Community of Sant'Egidio. The installation will remain on view until October 17, 2018, engaging passersby with its ethical and aesthetic discourse on the threshold between sanctuary and exclusion. De Gara's work joins a broader artistic conversation on migration, using a now-familiar material (thermal blankets) to critique political responses to the refugee crisis, referencing European leaders like Orbán, Salvini, and the Visegrad Group, as well as Sánchez and Asselborn.