Archivio del mare
Archivio del mare is an ongoing photographic project that investigates the memory of contemporary migrations in the Mediterranean through objects recovered after shipwrecks. The work stems from an attention to the people who cross the sea: men, women, and children who depart to protect their lives and seek a possible future, carrying with them only a few essential objects, charged with affective and symbolic value, the last traces of a life left behind.
The project originates from the shipwreck of October 3, 2013, off the coast of Lampedusa, one of the most tragic events in the recent history of migration in Europe. A fishing boat carrying more than 500 people, mostly of Eritrean nationality, caught fire and
sank just a few miles from the coast, causing the death of 368 people. For the first time, the tragedy of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean gained international visibility.
Through photography, these objects become silent presences, capable of restoring identity and dignity to the people who once owned them, beyond their absence. The sea emerges as a space of passage and memory, while the objects become tools of recognition and dignity.
Archivio del mare contributes to the construction of a visual memory of contemporary migrations, entrusting photography with the task of preserving and transmitting the stories of those who crossed the sea.
Project in the frame of Giovane Fotografia Italiana #13 – VOCI / VOICES
BIO
Karim El Maktafi
Karim El Maktafi (b. 1992, Desenzano del Garda, BS, IT) is an Italian-Moroccan photographer. He graduated in 2013 from the Istituto Italiano di Fotografia in Milan. In 2016, he was awarded a scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton’s communication research center, where he developed the project Hayati, winner of the PHMuseum 2017 Grant – New Generation Prize, finalist of the CAP Prize 2017, and second prize at the Kassel Dummy Award 2018.
Between 2017 and 2018, he received a mentorship with photographer Maggie Steber (VII Agency) and a Magnum Photos scholarship with Alex Majoli. He pursues long-term projects between Italy and Morocco, and his photographic research explores themes of identity and belonging through documentary photography and portraiture.
His work has been exhibited at international institutions and festivals, including La Triennale di Milano, the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, and the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, and has been published in magazines such as The Washington Post Magazine, National Geographic USA, Internazionale, and Vogue Italia.