Alan Kurdi was a two-year-old Syrian boy of Kurdish ethnic background whose image made global headlines after he drowned on 2 September 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea along with his mother and brother. Alan and his family were Syrian refugees trying to reach Europe from Turkey amid the European refugee crisis . Photographs of his body were taken by Turkish journalist Nilüfer Demir and quickly went viral, prompting international responses.

The mural, titled "Towards other skies", is located in the park at via Giambellino 129 , Milan. It was created by the "Farsi Prossimo" Cooperative, which commissioned it to an artist with the help of a group of foreign minors staying in a reception center in the area.