The new journey of the Global Sumud Flotilla toward Gaza also takes shape through the language of art: a humanitarian and political mission returning to sea after its first expedition in September 2025, which ended with the activists being arrested by the Israeli army. The new departure, which took place on April 26 from the port of Augusta, in Sicily, involves dozens of Italian and Spanish boats, ready to join other fleets between Greece and Turkey with the aim of reaching the Strip, delivering aid, and bringing international attention back to an ongoing crisis: 44 sails, 22 boats, and 21 artists in support of the mission.
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The artists are involved in the Vele d’Arte project, which transforms the boats into a traveling visual manifesto. The sails become narrative surfaces, “wings of freedom filled with stories, colors, and hope,” capable of carrying across the sea a shared imagination shaped by solidarity and resistance. Among the names involved are also Okuda San Miguel and Millo, alongside a broader network of Italian and Spanish creatives.
Within the Global Sumud Flotilla, these languages meet and reinforce one another, building a collective narrative. The fragmented and vibrant forms of Okuda San Miguel are paired with the delicate, monochromatic imagery of Millo, in dialogue with contributions from artists such as Elia Novecento, Matteo Todeschini, and Andrea Sposari, alongside the practices of Igor Scalisi Palmiteri and Antonella Santonocito. The painted sails — as well as interventions on hulls and boat surfaces, also created by collectives like MaleTinte and artists such as Escif, Lydia Giordano, and Glenda Costa — transform the flotilla into a moving visual device, where every mark becomes a political statement and a symbolic gesture.
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The project also unfolds through digital content — animations, music, and visual documentation — expanding its reach far beyond the physical dimension of the boats. A strategy consistent with the practice of many of the artists involved, from Okuda San Miguel to Millo, as well as figures like MP5, who are used to operating between urban space and online circulation, but which here takes on an even more urgent dimension.
