Migrants and people of the diaspora face many challenges in their pursuit of belonging due to racism,  xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination that pose threats to their livelihoods. More than ever, there is a critical need to challenge a singular definition of who belongs to a particular culture, nation, or community.

The installation work, Migrant Belonging(s) stems from my interviews with first- and second-generation immigrants in Milan, Italy. From their stories of migration, I cast replicas of what they and their families had brought with them to Italy from their countries of origin: namely, Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Lebanon, the Philippines, the United States, and Vietnam. Exhibited at a gallery inside a major subway station in the city, the work mirrors the voyage of the commuter via its bamboo raft.

“A passport, a rosary, a miniature lucky cat, an umbrella, a point-and-shoot camera, cans of food, leather wallets, purses, and bags all heaped onto a bamboo raft. For her exhibition, Migrant Belonging(s), multimedia artist Nicolei Buendia Gupit presents a collection of cast objects that represent the travels of people from across the world who have uprooted and relocated their lives to Italy. Collecting stories of interview subjects from Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Lebanon, the Philippines, the United States, and Vietnam, many left situations of political and economic instability with the hope of seeking jobs and better educations so that they could reinvent themselves and aid the families they left behind. In coming to Italy, Gupit notes, their motivations resemble those of the generations who have migrated to the US, as Gupit’s own family did, in pursuit of the American Dream—a subject that has formed a core theme of her artistic practice.” — Lily Woodruff

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