JACOPO ANDERLINI

Jacopo Anderlini (PhD) is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Parma, and he is part of the Visual Sociology Laboratory of the University of Genoa. His main research interests revolve around border studies, refugee studies, migration, critical theory on technologies, social and political philosophy. He investigates the transformations of the government of mobility, its infrastructures and logistics, at the southern borders of Europe. He is part of the Media Board of the ERC Advanced SOLROUTES project. Has published in Italian and international academic journals. Is co-editor of the volumes Mediterranean Crossroads (Elèuthera, 2023) and Borderland Italy (DeriveApprodi, 2022). Is a member of the editorial board of the journal "Controfuoco (https://www.meltingpot.org/controfuoco/).

Exploring ‘Regina Pacis’ in San Foca
Not far from Galatina and the DOMUS residency lies Regina Pacis, an abandoned migrant arrival centre that has stood empty since 2006. Once one of Europe’s largest CPTs (Centro di Permanenza Temporanea / Temporary Residence Centre), it housed nearly 60,000 people between 1998 and 2006 before being shut down due to multiple reports of human rights abuses. Now, all that remains is a decaying shell—crumbling walls, missing windows and roofs, and trees growing amidst the ruins.

Just across the Adriatic Sea, on the Albanian coastline, two newly built Italian migrant processing centres also stand empty. Unlike Regina Pacis, these centres were constructed in 2024 at a cost of nearly 700 million euros but were quickly shut down for failing to meet EU and human rights standards.

What has changed in the years since Regina Pacis closed and these new centres were built? Both now stand abandoned, mirroring each other across the Adriatic, remnants of an Italian border control system that claims to be welcoming yet continually falls short of upholding the basic human rights of those seeking refuge.

Artistic Research & Creative Documentation
Despite its neglect, Regina Pacis remains a crucial historical site that sheds light on the region’s political and social history. During their residency at DOMUS, Daisy Kidd and Jacopo Anderlini have been exploring creative ways to document and reinterpret the traces of this significant space. Using a diachronic approach, they have experimented with various techniques, including photography, cyanotype printing, and etching on tetrapak.

The resulting artworks, along with their research process, will serve as the foundation for workshops and public interventions designed to foster dialogue and engagement with these themes. By bringing attention to forgotten sites like Regina Pacis, their work challenges us to reflect on migration policies, collective memory, and the landscapes of displacement that continue to shape the Mediterranean region.