HUMAN rIGHTS TODAY

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The artwork by LBS (Bruno Salvatore Latella) “Born with the guilt of being born” was created in the wake of  the dramatic shipwreck off Cutro (Italy, Calabria) on 26 February 2023, when dozens of lives—including  many minors identified by codes such as “KR46M0”—were shattered by the waves and institutional  indifference. At the centre of the canvas stands little KR46M0, stylized and suspended in a grey-blue void,  his code inscribed to underscore the reduction of each person to a mere number. From the lower-right  diagonal bursts the hand of a Calabrian fisherman: a symbol of concrete solidarity and collective  redemption, ready to extend aid where institutions have remained silent. The work, with its stark contrasts  between emptiness and matter, essential lines and gestural materiality, documents the Cutro tragedy and  celebrates the collective response of the Calabrian community. The original painting has now been acquired  into the public heritage of the city of Crotone, as a permanent testament to the civic duty of welcome and  the power of solidarity as true bulwarks of human rights.  

Artist’s Declaration on Human Rights:  

“Each individual is the guardian of another. When a child like KR46M0 dies at sea, it is not only a  humanitarian tragedy but a moral failure of our society. I firmly believe that the right to life and the right to  be welcomed are not concessions but inviolable foundations: they are not “favours” to be granted, but duties  that every State and every citizen must honour. With this work, I pay tribute to the strength of Calabrian  solidarity and issue a warning to European and international institutions: let us not turn away from  suffering, but act with urgency to defend the rights of those who flee from war, hunger, and fear. Humanity  is not a privilege of the few, but a bond that unites us all.”  - Bruno Salvatore Latella (aka LBS)