Vitae

SHORTLISTED at ROCK YOUR DUMMY! And exhibited in Paris during Le PhotobookFest 2016.

VITAE: Curricula Vitae collected in 2013 and 2014 in Milan, Italy.

During the last two years of activity (in the bar were I worked for about 12 years from 2002 to 2014) despite the fact that clients were decreasing, somebody come at the bar to submit his resume almost every day. People of every age, nationality, race and with a very various range of experiences of life and work. What made me very sad at that time was the awareness that probably nobody of them could get a job from us. But, at the same time, I was feeling the duty to pay attention to them: so, because of that, I started to listen to their stories, to shake their hands and to collect “pieces of paper”.

I thought I didn’t have the right to deny them a single hope or a chance also if very distant (unrealistic) and out of respect and consideration of them I didn’t throw away any resume. I considered those “pieces of paper” like “pieces of lives”: therefore deserving respect and in some way precious. Looking at the portraits I started to see people, reading the texts I found stories, desires, expectations and passions. Without realizing it I was collecting them, and at a certain point I felt the need of using them in a way that they could be helpful. Because in my opinion this is a job as well: making ourselves useful.

I tried to tell the stories of all these “suspended” lives, waiting for an employment that probably would never come, at least not from us.