Federico Ciamei

This is a personal approach to history, traditions and identity in Italy.

What is my relation to Italian tradition and culture? How can I say “Italy” without immediately thinking of our past? How do we represent ourselves? Are we living in the present? How can we move forward when our traditions are so deeply rooted?

I want to explore the identity of contemporary Italy, how our tradition and culture – deeply embedded within the society – are a guide but also a limit. To be creative, to make something new, you must fight against nostalgia, and it can be really hard to do it in Italy where everything around you is a constant reminder of a greater past.

Needless to say that in 2019 the subject of national identity is a political one, when being “Italian” gives you more rights, wealth and opportunities, and the nationalist parties are building legal walls to define and regulate what and who is Italian.

I want to approach the themes of Tradition, History and Identify both narratively and formally:

–  Formally, through photography, which is my language and my culture. I plan to approach photography searching for its limits and working on those. Ideally my photos will be successful if they raise questions about their nature: “Am I looking at a photo or something else?”

–  Narratively, showing some of the traditions and telling some of the stories

The work is divided into 5 chapters: Capriccio, People Named Italo, Replica, Mamma and Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale.

1. Capriccio

Capriccio is a collection of postcards that represent the classic monumental Italy. The photos went through a process of post-production, starting with scanned old postcards and adding and modifying architectural and landscape elements. The name refers to the “Capriccio” painting style (popular from 16th and 17th century) of architectural fantasy that was used to depict Italy through archaeological ruins in fictional landscapes.The images are scanned at different screen resolutions and, as a consequence, are partly pixelated to reflect the loss of information. The post-produced photo is then photographed in my computer, adding the dimension of the screen.

2. People Named Italo

Italo is a common first name, it is usually a name passed from a grandfather to his grandchildren. I’m making a series of portraits (planning to do 3) that depict the imposition of this tradition from birth, along with privileges, wealth and rights.I printed a paper backdrop with the photoshop transparency pattern suggesting the idea that these photos will be used for further manipulations. I’m asking the Italos to dress “like an Italian” and to pose accordingly.

3. Replica

Culture evolves through transmission, but replication leads to loss of information. I potographed a gipsoteca, a collection of casts of classical bronze and marble statues, where chalk replicas are produced for home and garden decoration. These copies of famous statues reproduce also the imperfections and the missing parts of the originals (at the moment they were sampled), so all the copies of Venus of Milo will be without arms.The photo is then printed on several A4 sheets of paper on an office printer and put together on a wall above it. This printing performance can be replicated in an exhibition, suggesting that visitors may take home one of the printed pages.

4. Mamma

The Italian Mamma is an important character in our culture, she’s a strong and protective figure. In the founding myth of Roma, the founders of the city are two orphans, Romulus and Remus, who are breastfed by a she-wolf that takes the role of the mother.

In this chapter I will take a portrait of my mother with a Czechoslovak Wolfdog.

5. Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale

PAN is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, the largest in the world (!). This narrative is about patriotism and macho culture.

Federico Ciamei work focuses on the exploration of people desires and dreams: what drives them to search for something more than the basic needs and habits? He is currently based in Milan, where he works as a photographer for editorial projects, both on assignment and self-produced, and collaborates with international magazines such as T Magazine, Wallpaper*, Travel+Leisure and other independent publications.