Becoming Human, the official picture for 2025 designed by Giffoni creative director Luca Apolito, is a visual gateway.  A face that is both young and ancient is split in two. On one side, a recognizable identity, with the clear eye, a sprout blooming from the shoulder, the sun, a flower, hence symbols of life, warmth and possibility. On the other side, the vertigo of an erratic path. A labyrinth that winds like thought does whenever it seeks, gets lost and questions. As it leaves the face incomplete, the labyrinth scheme evokes the complexity of individual identity and reminds us that every personal journey – with its own needs, pace, and choices – is meant to be intertwined with a bigger story, a collective story made up of bonds, memory, and shared responsibilities. Becoming human is not only an intimate act; it is also an act of belonging.

The labyrinth refers to an identity that is not provided, but to be built. An identity that is shaped over time and through the relationship with the other. It is an ancient symbol found in myths and cultures of all ages. It doesn’t represent an enigma to be solved; it is a rite of passage. In Greek mythology, Theseus goes through it to confront the Minotaur, yet the real opponent we often have to face is an inner enemy, such as fear, doubt, or bewilderment. What is more, in many cultures the labyrinth doesn’t even actually lead to a final destination, instead it takes those who pass through it to a transformation.

The artwork envisioned for #Giffoni55 is thus symbolic of a unique and necessary journey that all human beings must undertake to truly become themselves. A journey that is different for each of us and that no one can avoid. There is no single path, no definitive arrival point. At the heart of the path there are no answers, but a question mark. Each achievement turns into a whole new question, each experience paves the way for further paths.

Of all the elements in the picture, there is one that speaks the loudest, an invisible element made manifest by its absence: relationship. No face exists alone. Even the most secluded labyrinth is inhabited by presences, recalling the footsteps of those who have crossed it before, the shadow of those who are now walking along its perimeter, the perspective of those who will walk through it later on. The invisible connections between lives and between stories are the essential ingredient of our world. We do not become human alone; we only become human together. Through listening, caring, being open to dialogue, speaking to each other, asking questions to each other, even through conflict.

The moon and the star on the side of the labyrinth are symbols of night and the unknown. On the opposite side, the one that is complete, clear, fertile and open, are the sun and a blooming flower. The face itself is inhabited by symbols that are reminiscent of our journey. The hourglass, reminding us that time is not just waiting, but building; the book, keeper of memory, of thought, of the stories that have shaped us. And two birds, one a product of nature and the other of technology. Two symbols of a humanity that dreams, but also knows how to invent. Two conflicting creatures in search of balance.

Becoming human means accepting that we are continually called to a quest, that we are constantly under construction. Every generation must continue to inquire what it means to be human, to choose empathy over closure, imagination over automatism. We often live as aliens to ourselves and others, hyper-connected but disconnected from emotions, bodies and gazes. Becoming human also entails acknowledging this distance, and trying to bridge it every single day.

In a time that seems to reward quick response and favor simplified identities, and that crushes and compresses opinions to fit them into a like, the narrative proposed in Becoming Human is an invitation to accept complexity, to choose to move forward by trial and error, to contemplate mistake as part of the journey, to experience even uncertainty as a creative condition.

Becoming human is not about finishing a journey, it is about accepting that we are always on the road. An act of resistance, a gentle revolt against standardization. A rejection of the idea that human nature can be reduced to a set of predictable behaviors or to an acquired and final condition.

Becoming Human holds this invisible invitation. The face in the picture doesn’t tell who we are, rather who we might become. It is the face of a generation that doesn’t ask for easy truths, but for opportunities for exploration and growth.

It is the newest proposal of a festival that has been encouraging young people to wonder, create, and share for the past 55 years.