Menu
Sixty individuals who were forced to flee their countries describe their journey from “elsewhere” taking inspiration from their drawn window view by internationally acclaimed artist and architect Matteo Pericoli.
Windows on Elsewhere: 60 Refugees 60 Views is a book, exhibition and limited edition box set of a collection of 60 window view drawings by internationally acclaimed artist, architect, and author Matteo Pericoli, depicting the present window views of sixty individuals who were forced to flee their countries. The drawings are accompanied by short texts written by the refugees describing their journey from “elsewhere” taking inspiration from their drawn window view.
On the surface, the drawings simply reveal the view of each refugee framed by their window. But as we read their accompanying words our attention turns inward and we get a glimpse of their past, their experiences, their emotions, and of the people, places, and stories left behind —inevitably blended with a seemingly everlasting, fleeting present.
The people whose stories are featured in the book, who come from more than thirty countries, describe what it feels like to be forced to abandon one’s home, one’s country, and, in many cases, one’s loved ones. Their stories are deeply personal and emotional and draw out the complexity, intensity and pain that are ingrained in a refugee’s journey.
This project was first launched in Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin in May 2021. It comprises a book in Italian published by Il Saggiatore and a limited-edition box set of drawings and stories by each of the 60 refugees in Italian, English, French and Spanish, sponsored by the Lavazza Fondazione. The drawings and stories have been exhibited in Turin, Italy in 2021; Lugano, Switzerland in 2022 as well as in Mexico City and Guadalajara in 2023, as part of a partnership with United Nations Hight Commissioner for Refugees, Frontline Defenders and the Washington Office on Latin America. The Spanish-language edition of the book was launched at the Guadalajara International Book Fair in 2023.
