European Borders, 2024.

At the edges of a changing Europe, in a world marked by conflict and uncertainty, thousands move in search of safety and dignity. Many become “illegal” out of necessity, shaped by borders and unequal access to mobility. Yet beyond violence and uncertainty, migration also carries resilience and the search for a different future.

Food embodies survival, memory, culture and community. Along migration routes, obtaining ingredients, cooking and sharing meals becomes increasingly difficult, shaped by movement, waiting and border restrictions. Within these conditions, food can become an act of resistance. Shared meals create moments of familiarity and exchange, where solidarity and human connection continue to emerge despite violent circumstances.

Rather than focusing on suffering, the project documents ordinary moments that continue to exist within migration: cooking, eating together, waiting, celebrating, and building relationships.

Developed between 2023 and 2024 along the Balkan route, “The Illegal Cook” was created within the framework of SolRoutes – A scientific initiative on/for border abolitionism, a research project by the Department of Education Sciences and the Laboratory of Visual Sociology at the University of Genoa, funded by the European Union (ERC, SOLROUTES, 101053836).