Giovanni Gaggia's 'Com'è il cielo in Palestina?' at Casa della Memoria, Milan

Artist Giovanni Gaggia's participatory project 'Com'è il cielo in Palestina?' is on view at Casa della Memoria in Milan until November 2, 2025. The work originated in 2023 when Gaggia, while preparing the exhibition 'L'Oro Blu' for Pesaro Italian Capital of Culture 2024, transformed an empty frame from the Museo dei Bronzi Dorati di Pergola into a symbolic portal to Gaza after the October 7 attack on Israeli civilians. The question 'Com'è il cielo in Palestina?' was embroidered in Arabic on a tapestry by women from Pergola, where the artist lives. Responses from Gaza arrived in March 2024, leading to a second tapestry shown in Cremona in July 2025 with the collective Palestina Animada. The project expanded to involve communities across Italian cities, each embroidering phrases and testimonies from Palestine. The final installation spans eighteen meters and is curated by Susanna Ravelli with general direction by Maria Fratelli. The display interacts with the institution's architecture, notably covering vertical archives that hold testimonies of struggles for freedom and democracy, a gesture denouncing the manipulation of historical memory and the fragility of contemporary democracies. The project connects with the Global Movement to Gaza and initiatives like the Global Sumud Flotilla, which symbolically brought aid to the Strip in summer and autumn 2025. After Milan, the project will travel to Potenza, Catania, Savona, Pesaro, Jesi, and Torino.