Giovanni Gaggia's tapestry commemorates Ustica massacre at Museo Omero

Artist Giovanni Gaggia has completed a decade-long project on the Ustica massacre with a new tapestry, 'Quello che doveva accadere' (What Had to Happen), now permanently installed at the Museo Tattile Statale Omero in Ancona. The work, curated by Stefano Verri, is housed in the Spazio '900 e contemporaneo. The phrase, suggested by Daria Bonfietti (president of the Association of Families of Victims of the Ustica Massacre), is embroidered in Braille, created during a performance. The tapestry incorporates 36 audio contributions from figures in Italian art and culture reflecting on art, memory, and justice, including artist Francesco Arena. On March 12, 2021, Gaggia will seal the tapestry in a metal tube with a Braille inscription, accompanied by audio recordings. The project began ten years ago with drawings, embroideries, performances, videos, and audio installations in Palermo, Bologna, and Ancona. The Ustica massacre occurred on June 27, 1980, when Itavia Flight 870 was shot down near Ustica, killing 81 people. Gaggia is the founder of the artist-run project Casa Sponge.