Stories
More necessary than the sun
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 90% of the world population breathes polluted air. However, in the Central Balkans the situation is particularly serious, since Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo are primarily responsible for air pollution on the European continent. Every winter, towns and cities across the Balkans face the same problem of heavily polluted air, and residents are increasingly concerned about the health impacts. “More necessary than the sun” is a photographic journey into the heart of the central Balkans, which began in 2022. The project stems from the objective of documenting the consequences of pollution on the environment and the communities most affected by these "monsters", which reflect a new form of neo-colonialism, often run by foreign companies. The communities living in these places, often the most fragile and poor, can hardly afford to create a new life for themselves in a healthier place and are left with no choice but to accept the future that has been imposed on them. The first chapter of this project focuses on Bosnia, which sadly represents the most emblematic state in the region. According to the Human Right Watch Report, Bosnia has the fifth highest incidence of deaths due to air pollution globally.
Il me país al è colòur smarít
Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region with a special statute in north-eastern Italy, overlooking the Adriatic Sea and bordering with Austria and Slovenia, rich in natural beauty such as the Dolomites and the Grado lagoon. A region constantly protagonist of history but often forgotten, a place where different cultures and peoples meet and unite, a hybrid territory, long disputed but often considered 'foreign' by the rest of the nation. Between these lands flows the river Isonzo, sacred to the peoples of Italy because of the many young men who lost their lives during the eleven bloody battles that saw this place play a leading role during the First World War. An area that is rarely a tourist destination, despite its history, nature and bucolic landscapes that also inspired the young Pasolini, who witnessed the poverty of the peasants and the rurality that still characterises the region's economy today.
TAV – We are still dreaming
What does it mean to live a life that forces you to always question the goodness of your country's institutions and that leads you to consider the figures who should protect you as a threat to your freedom? "We are still dreaming" is a visual investigation of the community of young people under 30 who live in the Susa Valley, one of the wildest alpine valleys in Italy. This place holds the record for being the most militarized place in the country and for hosting the longest lasting protest movement ever in Italy: the No Tav. The movement, originated in the early 90s, aims to oppose the construction of the high-speed railway line Turin-Lyon, considered a waste of public money and a harm to the territory. In over 30 years of work and projects not even one meter of the 7 km of tunnels foreseen – which should serve the passage of the trains - has been realized. With my project " We are still dreaming " I have visited and met many people from the community and tell my story of their struggle through their faces and surroundings. An intimate narrative of this new generation of young people who have never known a life without struggles, denunciations, arrests and protests.
