Journey to Europe

Paste-up, acrylic and print on paper, 300 cm x 400 cm, Turin, Italy 2017

For many people escaping war, persecution, or precarious living conditions, the journey to Europe begins with a crossing marked by risk and uncertainty. The life jacket, both a safeguard and a symbol of fragility, is worn by migrants as protection and hope, embodying the fragile line between danger and survival, and the possibility of reaching a safer, better life across the sea..

Part of the Waves of the Heroes project, initiated in 2015, this work traces Sibomana’s journey along key migrant routes across Europe, including Lesbos Island, Athens, Istanbul, Berlin, Rome, Torino, London, Idomeni, Thessaloniki, and Nicosia. Through posters and paintings, he brought his art directly into the spaces shaped by migration, engaging with the lived realities of people seeking safety, peace, and freedom.

The project remains ongoing, reflecting a journey that is still unfolding and a road that is still long. “Art is emotion; my aim is to try to convey this emotion to people, to trigger a reflection on the theme of migration, beyond what they read in newspapers.”