What a Gifted Artist’s Sculptures Can Teach Us About Emigration
Exploring emigration through Bruno Catalano’s art
Emigration outcomes are often depicted as fairy-tale endings, with successful emigrants thriving in their new country, rarely looking back with regret.
As an emigration therapist, I explore the world of emigration through the eyes of my clients. Everyone’s experience is unique. Emigrants venture into a new, unknown world: they leave the familiar to start afresh amid new cultures and environments.
- Some recall a profound sense of being emotionally uprooted
- Others fully embrace the opportunities presented and continue to thrive.
- Some experience both.
Can the emotional impact of emigration be visually portrayed? The challenge is to illustrate emigration as a multifaceted phenomenon that encompasses not only the physical relocation from one place to another but also an emotional voyage of identity and belonging.
In the work of migrant French sculptor Bruno Catalano, emigration is depicted as an intimate and full journey, encapsulating the highs and lows that come with it.
His sculptures, collectively known as “Les Voyageurs” (The Travellers) become tangible representations of this intangible journey, offering a visual embodiment of the emigrants’ lived experience.[1]
The emigrant as an artist
Catalano’s inspiration comes from a place of empathy and understanding, deeply rooted in his own experiences.
- Born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1960, his family was forced into exile. He was ten years old when they left the country to settle in Marseille.
- Trained by his father as an electrician, he began his professional life at the age of twenty by working on boats.
- It wasn’t until he reached the age of 30 that he discovered his passion for art and clay sculpting.
He understands the profound experience of leaving nearly everything behind. That significant moment clutching a suitcase, facing an uncertain future, and yet determined to move forward, despite everything.
In 2013, ten life-size bronze sculptures, created by Catalano were displayed along the waterfront of Marseille to commemorate the city’s status as the European Capital of Culture. These life-size bronze figures are now featured in various parts of the world.
He deliberately tears these figures at the wax stage, a process that mirrors the unique pain of separation that emigrants often face. These physical tears are not just artistic expressions; they portray emotional landscapes, mapping the internal struggle of those who find themselves torn between two worlds.
He masterfully carves out spaces of absence within their forms, evoking the sense of something vital being torn away. And yet, miraculously, the statues stand balanced, with the suitcase serving as the singular connection between the conscious mind and the journeying body.
Despite their bodies being open to the wind and light, each retains its balance and coherence, symbolising the resilience of the human spirit.
The emotional gravity of emigration
In discussing Catalano’s art, people typically speak of the haunting voids depicted by the gaping holes in each figure, portraying the absences within. It is also worth looking at the symbolism of the suitcases held tightly by each figure.
Having experienced the heaviness of such emotional baggage himself, the suitcase represents more than carrying belongings. It becomes a symbol representing experiences, memories, and deeply personal sentiments that ground the emigrant. It keeps the traveler connected to their roots while providing the necessary support to move them forward on their journey.
The suitcases also embody an attitude — a testament to courage and determination demanded by journeys that redefine our lives.
- Taking up one’s suitcase and departing from the familiar, signifies the resilience and bravery required to navigate the unknown.
- It represents the willingness to embrace change, explore new horizons, and face the challenges that lie ahead.
- The suitcases become the very essence of a life in transit, the eternal search for a place to call “home” in a constantly changing world.
These sculptures offer a particular perspective on humanity, suggesting that absence and separation are integral elements of the individual’s identity. Catalano’s sculptures personify not only travel or emigration but the broader journey of our lives, our vulnerabilities, and everything we have to part with to move forward.
Nomads in the journey of life
Artists, with their special ability to draw from personal experiences, infuse their work with layers of meaning that reach far beneath the surface. Aristotle reminds us that true art isn’t concerned solely with outward appearances but with the expression of the underlying truths of existence. Catalano’s “in transit” sculptures beautifully bridge the gap between the external world of experiences and the inner world of emotions.
In the introspective space suspended between the moment of departure and arrival, the “in transit” sculptures of Catalano speak to the heart of emigration and the nomadic spirit in today’s world. By transcending the barriers of language and culture, they capture more than the physical act of relocation; they explore the psychological experience in our search for new horizons.
We are each nomads in the journey of life. We have all experienced the excitement of the new and the heartache of parting with the old.
The act of leaving, especially emigration, often leaves one feeling ungrounded, floating, and uncertain about the future. As we carefully unpack our metaphorical suitcase filled with memories we discover the inner strength to carry on.
[1] https://brunocatalano.com/sculpture-bronze/bruno-catalano-a-propos.php?EN=1
